By Luck

by S J Abbott

  His lips on hers made her ache—and not just in a good, getting hot way, but in a lasting way. In way that she couldn’t allow because there was no future for her with Gideon. There was no future for her with any man. She was a lone wolf, and she had every intention of staying that way.

  Shannon left her corner and took her place behind the table, next to Gideon. “Sorry,” she whispered.

  Gideon looked over his shoulder at her and shook his head and winked before returning his attention to the three small, watery-eyed men he’d been talking to. “Yes. We do have contracts with suppliers. How about you take my card and give my office a call next week. We’ll set up a time for you to meet my partners. We’ll see if we can’t work something out.”

  One by one, the watery-eyed men shook Gideon’s hand enthusiastically. “Looking forward to it.”

  Shannon and Gideon stood side-by-side and watched the men slither away while they gawked at all the half-dressed models wandering the convention floor.

  “Tell me you’re not really meeting with them. They seem like slime on a stick.”

  Gideon laughed and smiled. “I’ll take their call, but chances are that they won’t like what we offer them. Their operation is much smaller than they’re trying to make it out to be. Honestly, we don’t carry half of the products they’d be looking for. They cater to a very specific crowd.”

  Shannon shook her head. “Why am I not surprised by that,” she responded, then paused and looked up at him. “Gid, listen …”

  “Don’t even worry about it. You don’t have to say anything. Especially right now.”

  Shannon got the hint. “Later, then.”

  Gideon nodded quickly before returning his attention to the people that had stopped to check out all the things they had at their table.

  * * *

  The rest of the day had been uneventful. Both Shannon and Gideon had been so busy talking to potential retailers and direct clients that they’d barely had had time to look at each other. Shannon was grateful for it. The break had allowed her to set things right in her head, and made it so that she knew when the time came she’d be able to say the things to Gideon that she needed to. She’d decided that honesty was the best policy; in some circumstances, telling someone you have feelings for them might make them want to keep you around, but she knew that with Gideon it would do the opposite, and therefore would work in her favor.

  They’d finished packing the boxes and affixing the labels, with the exception of one: the single box that Lily and Kayla had brought them. Someone from the hotel would make sure that the rest got to the post office in the morning. “Would you mind bringing this one upstairs for me? I’d like the opportunity to compare their products to their website.”

  Gideon nodded. “Sure. After we drop this off in your room, we can go get some real food. That salad wore off hours ago.”

  Shannon smiled, feeling herself genuinely warming to him. She couldn’t. She needed to stay strong. She sent the wall down on those feelings. “I’ll have to take a rain check. This box is really nagging at me.”

  “But your brain needs food,” Gideon told her as he picked up the box. She grabbed her bags and they left the convention hall and headed for the elevators.

  “It does, but I’ll probably just order a little something and eat while I work. Why don’t you text Eric and see if you two can get dinner and finish your conversation from earlier?”

  Gideon stood with his back against the wall of the elevator and nodded. “Yeah. Eric has a lot to offer. Everything he does falls right in line with what the guys and I have been thinking for our new space in Manhattan. If we could use some of Eric’s actors and actresses and he used some of our products, we could be doing some real cross-promoting. It would be a great thing for both companies, really.”

  The elevator had reached their floor and as the door was opening Shannon was already stepping out. “See, that’s perfect. Text him. Have dinner. Get it all sorted. I’ll work this out.” She nodded to the box Gideon was carrying as she fumbled with her key card.

  “You’re sure?”

  Shannon finally pushed the door open. “Yes. I’m sure. Now, drop that and get out of here,” she said with a laugh.

  Gideon set the big box on the floor just inside the door. “Make sure to text if you need anything.”

  Shannon smirked at him. “I’m a single girl with a box full of brand new dildos. What more could I possibly need.” She couldn’t contain her laughter. He gave her a look that was somewhere between baffled and curious, then leaned in to kiss her cheek before he left.

  Shannon let the door shut behind him and fell into the bed. She’d needed a break from him, but as soon as he left she wanted him there. Her brain was twisted; she needed to sort it out, and working would help her do that. She lifted her head off the mattress and pulled out her phone to check in with Julie.

  BACK IN ROOM. RECEIVED A GIFT FROM LILY AND OAK, GOING TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT.

  Shannon just shook her head at her friend’s response.

  YOU’RE IN VEGAS. TRY TO HAVE SOME FUCKING FUN, YOU PRUDE.

  TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE.

  Shannon snorted at the conversation before tossing her phone to the side and getting up to take action.

  Shannon got her laptop set up and pulled up both Lily and Oak’s website as well as Genesis Inc.’s. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure what she was looking for, but she wanted to be prepared.

  Eventually she took the giant box of sex toys and pulled it over to the bed and started to toss objects from it to the bed. She figured she could look over each product and then put it back in the box that way she wouldn’t miss one.

  All set to go, Shannon had to stop for a moment to examine her current situation. She was standing barefoot in a gorgeous hotel room in Las Vegas with her bed piled high with sex toys, some of which she had no idea what they were for. She was about to spend her evening—and by the looks of the size of the pile, most of the night—researching each piece to see if it might help her help her company. If someone had told her five years prior that she’d be doing what she was doing—and not just doing it, but loving it—she would have laughed her ass off, then told them to fuck off. The adult industry wasn’t something she’d ever had any interest in. She’d always thought it was a bit sexist and degrading, really. But that was then and this was now. She realized that the business not only had merit, but it brought happiness to a lot of people. She was still helping. It was in an admittedly different way, but still helping.

  Shaking herself and getting back on track, she started to comb through the packages on the bed. She started by separating them into categories. She had small toys that looked more like novelties than anything else. Anal toys. Dildos. Vibrators and a miscellaneous pile. She’d decided to divide the dildos and vibrators because there were too many, plus that was how the Genesis website broke things up.

  Shannon took stock of her work, and a light bulb went off. She realized she didn’t have to go through every single item … only the dildos and the vibrators. The entire lawsuit was built on copyright infringement, and the boys had all been mold models. She scooped those two piles closer and dug in.

  * * *

  After several hours of searching both sites and narrowing both piles down to having only three pieces each remaining, Shannon got up and showered. Her back was tight from hunching over her laptop, and she’d been looking at plastic, glass, and silicone dicks for way too long. Her eyes were burning.

  Shannon showered and wrapped herself in the thick fluffy robe the hotel provided and after twisting her long hair onto the top of her head and securing it with a clip, she plopped herself back on the bed and returned to work.

  One of the last three vibrators was shiny silver, and the light it reflected caught her eye. Shannon picked it up. It was an extremely detailed replica of a penis. Knowing what she did of the industry, Shannon wondered who’s it was. Her mind drifted as she examined the packaging. It was apparently called B
ad Boy, which made her roll her eyes a bit. Beneath the name, she noticed it was part of what was called The Millionaire Series. Shannon huffed at the absurdity of the names. She very much enjoyed the product naming meetings at work. While it was fun to sit around and play with puns, she took that process very seriously.

  Shannon went to Lily and Oak’s site and found the series. There were three models. The one she was holding, one that was bright gold and called Geek Sheik and another that was a sleek, shiny black and titled Boy Next Door.

  Alarm bells started going off in her head.

  Holy crap, she’d been so stupid. She tore the packaging open and held the vibrator in her hand. It was him! She knew it immediately. It was exactly the same, in a sexy yet creepy kind of way. She took a screen capture of the one titled Boy Next Door and texted to Julie with the short message.

  Look familiar?

  She was sure that if this one was Gid, the other two were Aaron and Seth.

  She couldn’t wait for her friend to respond though. This could be it. The line was new. She knew it was because the website bragged about it, talked about this state-of-the-art new line of vibrators that were not only molded after Millionaires, but would make you feel like one. She shook her head, really beginning to understand why Lily and Oak was in so much trouble; their marketing department was horrible.

  Shannon grabbed her key card off the table and bolted out the door and to Gideon’s room, the silver cock in her fist.

  She knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again. Still nothing. She looked at her phone. It was only eleven; he could still be at dinner. She turned to the elevator and mashed the down button over and over until the doors opened.

  The ride to the lobby was slow as Shannon tapped her foot impatiently and twisted the vibrator in her hands. She needed to show him. This was it. Amanda was going to be so happy.

  As soon as the doors opened, she bolted out and toward the restaurant. She didn’t even stop at the host stand, just blew past all the finely dressed staff and patrons and went straight to the back. She knew Gideon. She knew he’d want to be as far from the entrance as possible. She slid to a stop as he came into view. Shannon knew the moment he saw her because his eyes popped and he froze as she made her way to the table. She stood across from him, behind one of the suit-clad head honchos of the production company. She was wearing only her bathrobe. She had no shoes on and her hair was in a sloppy knot on top of her head. Oblivious to her appearance and bubbling over with almost manic excitement, she held up the silver vibrator for him—and everyone else in the restaurant—to see.

  “It’s you!”

  Seven

  Gideon was at a loss. He was more than surprised to see Shannon at dinner. He’d hoped she would change her mind and come down to join him, but it had been hours. He just assumed she fell asleep. He was wrong. There she was, fresh-faced and beautiful, lit up with excitement. Her face was glowing, and she was practically bouncing with energy. He couldn’t help but smile. That smile quickly faded once he took in the rest of her. She was barely dressed. No, she wasn’t dressed. She had on a robe, and judging by how high up her leg he could see, there was nothing underneath it. His mouth went dry as he looked around at the other men’s reactions. They all looked like they’d had their jaws unhinged.

  Gideon began to get up from his chair as Shannon lifted what looked like a very elaborate dildo in the air. “Shannon. Let’s go outside, shall we?” he said calmly, taking her waist as she babbled. Her words were blending with the chaos that had erupted as soon as the other diners had realized what it was she was holding. He couldn’t understand what she was saying. He just wanted to get out of there.

  “It’s you! It’s you!” She was trying to hand him the dildo.

  They’d arrived in the hall. Gideon took a breath and backed Shannon against the wall. He held her shoulders. “Calm down. That’s right … take a breath. And another. Good.” He was staring her down and trying to calm her. The unfortunate part was that his body had already started to respond to her being so close. He tried to maintain eye contact with her, knowing that her robe had shifted in their flight out of the restaurant … more of her was showing than his body could handle at the moment. He needed to play the boss, to get pissed.

  “Slow down. Okay, now tell me what the hell you were thinking coming down here looking like that? Interrupting a business dinner looking like that?” The rage was warming him, coming easier as the words flowed out of his mouth.

  Shannon stared back at him. The brightness faded from her eyes and the glow dimmed from her cheeks. He could feel her search him for some sign of understanding, but she came up empty. “Well? What the fuck Shannon?”

  He watched as she closed her eyes, and he could feel her body tense under his hands. Something was pushing against his chest. “It’s you,” she whispered.

  Gideon looked away from her face and down at his chest where Shannon was poking him with the silver vibrator. He did a double take. “What the …?” Gideon dropped his hands from her shoulders and took the silver penis from her.

  “It’s YOU.” She added as much emphasis to the “you” part as she could. “I have been upstairs for hours, pouring over their websites and going through the toys. This line, their Millionaire line. It seemed an odd name, so I actually opened this one. As soon as I held it I knew.”

  Gideon couldn’t believe what he was holding or what he was hearing. “But this must be an old product back from the Frat Boy line. Lily and Oak couldn’t possibly be that stupid.”

  Shannon shook her head. “I thought the same, but they must be that stupid, because that was in the box they gave us. There are three models in the Millionaire line. This one, called Bad Boy, a gold one called Geek Sheik, and a black one named Boy Next Door. I’ve never actually seen Aaron and Seth’s penises … well that’s not true. I did see Aaron’s once, but it was an accident. He and Julie had been in the kitchen a long time one night, and I mistakenly went in and ...”

  Gideon cut her off. “Wait. So, you’re telling me that this vibrator is from a new line, and that that there’s a very good chance that they not only used my mold, but Aaron’s and Seth’s too?”

  Gideon stared at what looked exactly like his own penis but dipped in silver before looking up at Shannon. She had a huge smile on her face, and that look he loved so much. The one that said she knew she was smarter than him, but she wasn’t going to say it out loud because it didn’t need to be said and she was trying to spare his manhood. Gideon threw caution to the wind and let feeling take over his body. He kissed her. Hard.

  Gideon’s kiss had her head buzzing. She was everywhere and nowhere. She could no longer tell what she felt or thought; Gideon’s touch had erased it all. Everything just … was. And then it was over, almost as quickly as it started. She was left gasping and breathless, trapped between him and the wall. The contrast of the two bit into her need. “Gideon …” she whispered.

  “Give me five minutes. I need to go back in there, but then we’re taking care of this.” He kissed her softly one more time before taking her hand and returning his likeness to her palm.

  Shannon nodded as he turned.

  “I’ll be up in a few.”

  * * *

  Shannon was lying on her back on the bed with the Bad Boy held above her head. She was examining it thoroughly and letting her mind wander. She couldn’t understand. Why would Lily give them a box that contained this? They knew their lawsuit was the only thing that could get them enough capital to continue doing business. Shannon wasn’t even sure how they were funding this trip. She assumed that the risks of not coming outweighed the actual cost for the trip and they’d figured something out so they could make an appearance. She tried to reason it out in her head, but didn’t get far.

  Her body was still humming from Gideon’s kiss. When she’d laid on the bed her robe had basically opened; now the cool air of the room was dancing lightly across her exposed nipples. She shuddered from the sensation at the
exact moment a knock sounded at her door.

  “Shannon, it’s me. Open up.”

  Shannon sighed and sat up, setting the Bad Boy next to her on the bed as her breasts fell completely out of their covering. She debated letting it fall to the floor as she got up, but decided against it. This was a business trip and they had to take care of this new situation. “One second,” she sounded off as she wrapped herself tightly in the soft fabric, tying the belt around her waist. She arrived at the door with her nipples painfully hard hiding beneath the flaps of the robe.

  Shannon pulled the door open and immediately lost her breath. Gideon jumped her so fast that if she hadn’t known every square inch of him, including his scent, she would have panicked. Instead, she quit chastising herself and fell into it.

  Gideon lifted her off her feet and she wrapped them around his waist, holding herself to him as he walked them both into the room. Shannon vaguely heard the door shut behind them. Gideon laid her down in the exact spot she’d just vacated and lifted his torso off of her.

  “Open the robe.”

  Shannon couldn’t respond. She couldn’t catch her breath. She started to lift her hands to the knot at her waist and then stopped. She sucked in as much air as she was able and looked up at Gideon. “We need to take care of this first,” she told him as she picked up the vibrator that was pushed hard between the mattress and her hip. “You said so yourself.”

  Gideon smiled and nodded. “Yes we do, and yes I did. What you don’t realize is that I wasn’t talking about taking care of this.” He took the vibrator from her and turned it over in his hands as he finished. “When I said we needed to take care of this, I meant you and me.” Gideon kept the toy in one hand while he went for the knot at her waist himself. “Now I realize that things aren’t ideal, but I don’t think that I can take this anymore. I don’t know what the answer is, but I do know that I can’t stay away from you. Not even can’t … won’t.”