Damage Control

by M. S. Parker

  “That’s fine.” I slanted him a glance over my shoulder. “Or you could let me spot you a hundred dollars. If you don’t do much with it, fine. And if you win anything…it’s yours.”

  “I…” He scowled even harder and I wondered if he ever let himself have a little fun. I would've thought a stripper would've been a little more daring.

  “Come on.” I winked at him. “It’s Vegas. You gotta live a little bit while you’re here.”

  “I’m living plenty, thanks.” He flashed me a wry smile, one that managed to set my heart to racing. “I ended up with a beautiful bride, didn’t I?”

  That prompted a real smile even as I rolled my eyes at him. “I…well, I don’t think that counts. We were drunk off our asses.”

  I continued to tug him along with me as I sought out one of the cashiers. After getting some cash, I pushed a hundred into his hand. “Know how to play Texas Hold’Em?”

  “Yes.” He shook his head as he gave me a wry grin. “I guess you don’t know how to take no very well, do you?”

  “Sure I do.” I nudged him with my elbow as we made our way over to the gaming tables. “The problem is…you haven’t exactly said no. Come on. One hand, and if you don’t have fun, I’ll leave you alone.”

  “One more hand.”

  “No.” I glared at him and his ever-growing pile of chips, although I wasn’t really mad. He’d taken that hundred I'd given him and somehow turned it into over seven. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a card shark.”

  The dealer laughed.

  So did Kaleb.

  “It’s just luck.” He winked at me and a couple of others chuckled.

  “The little lady’s a sore loser,” a heavyset man next to me said, leaning close enough that I could smell the remnants of his breakfast on his breath – onions and sausage.

  Pleasant.

  “Not really. I’m just a better winner.” I gave him a bland smile and got up to take the seat that had been vacated next to Kaleb. “I’m done though. I’m going to find a slot machine and engage in something a little less strenuous on my poor little female brain.”

  He half-choked on the water he’d requested from the server when I fluttered my lashes at the man across from us, who blinked at me, clearly wondering if I’d somehow insulted him.

  The dealer was holding back a smile.

  I left her a tip and gestured to Kaleb where I’d be. He could see me from the table, and I could see him. We’d exchanged phone numbers earlier, and since he was enjoying himself – and kicking ass – I figured it was as good a time as any to move onto something I didn’t totally suck at.

  Plus, I could get away from sausage and onion breath.

  At least that was the plan.

  I’d only been at my chosen slot machine for ten minutes when the one next to me opened up. When Sausage and Onion sat down, I mentally groaned but ignored him, focusing on the machine in front of me. All the luck I was lacking in Poker today, I was making in spades on my shiny slot machine. I was up to almost twelve hundred dollars, and I’d started out with a hundred.

  “Well now, looks like you found your groove, sweetheart.”

  I didn’t respond.

  Sometimes if a girl ignored the creepers, they went away.

  And…sometimes they didn’t. When he patted my shoulder, I glanced over as if just now noticing him. “Oh, hi. Bored with poker, I see.”

  “Yeah. That Australian shit is cheating or something, I kid you not.” He smirked over toward the table and then smiled at me. “Maybe you and I could go hit up another game…or something.”

  “No, thanks.” I focused back on the machine, then laughed when three 7s lit up on the play line and music began to jingle.

  “You’re doing pretty well there,” he said, admiration a little too thick in his voice.

  I made a low noise in my throat that could have been a thanks – or anything else.

  “How about I buy you a drink?”

  Geez. The man wasn’t getting it. Looking over at him, I said, “I’ve got one. I’m not interested, okay?”

  “Hey, I’m just being friendly.” He leaned a little closer. “Seeing as how you aren’t here with anybody–”

  “Piety.”

  Kaleb’s voice was entirely too welcome. I didn’t let myself smile or show any other response as I glanced over my shoulder at him. I just nodded before looking back at Sausage and Onion. “Actually, I am here with somebody. My husband is that Australian shit you were insulting.”

  Face going a florid shade of red, the man glared at me before looking over my shoulder at Kaleb. “Hey, now why you gotta go…I didn’t…look, buddy, I wasn’t meaning nothing. We were just talking.”

  “Of course you were. Now you’re done.” Kaleb’s voice was cold.

  I smiled into my coffee as the seat next to me quickly became vacant. Kaleb sat down, placing a fresh coffee down in the empty space between the machines. “Was he bothering you?”

  “Yes.” Looking over at him, I offered a smile of gratitude. “I was handling him, but he had a head like a rock. Getting through would probably take a sledgehammer.” I paused, head cocked as I considered. “No. Just the right amount of testosterone. Some men only respond to that.”

  He skimmed his fingers along my shoulder. It was a light, friendly touch, almost platonic. “Makes me want to apologize for my gender as a whole.”

  “No need.” I traded out my nearly empty coffee cup for the one he’d brought over. “Is this mine?”

  “Yes. You seem to inhale it.”

  “It’s my addiction.” I sighed lustily and took a sip before focusing back on the machine. “You’re a sweetheart, you know that, Kaleb?”

  “A nice quality to have in a temporary husband, I suppose.”

  “Well, I think it’s a nice quality to have, period.” Before I could get too wrapped up in my pretend spouse, I pulled the lever on the machine and watched the numbers spin.

  “No.” I looked at the ride in front of me. The damn thing looked like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a roller coaster or a giant see-saw. Nerves jangled in my belly, and I stared at it a minute longer before shaking my head and backing away. I ended up backing right into Kaleb and almost, almost, stayed there. Laughing nervously, I turned to look at him. “Sorry. And um…no. Hell, no.”

  “Oh, come on. It'll be fun.” He moved in a little closer and the scent of him flooded my head.

  Flooded my head and threatened my senses too. It was mid-afternoon, and with every passing hour, I had to remind myself more often that we weren’t on any sort of date.

  This was…well, it was business.

  Kind of.

  Sorta.

  Business that had brought us to the infamous roller coaster located on top of one of the tallest hotels in Vegas – the one that went speeding over the edge of the hotel itself. And he looked excited about getting on it.

  “Look, I’m all fine and dandy with regular roller coasters,” I said. “If you want to ride Space Mountain or something like that…” Inspiration struck. “Hey, I know! We can go to Disneyland. Maybe skip my family reunion and go to Disney, and I’ll send them a postcard. Sorry we missed it. Honeymooning at Disney with my new husband.”

  He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Now you’re just trying to distract me. Okay. If you really don’t want to ride, do you mind if I do anyway?”

  “Um…” I glanced at the ride again. “Sure.”

  “Awesome.” He squeezed my arms and moved around me, heading toward the ride.

  He got maybe ten feet away, and I swore, telling myself that if I went plummeting off the side, I’d at least die a relatively painless death. He shot me a look when I caught up with him. “Change your mind?”

  “You’re up here because of me,” I said sourly. “If that thing breaks down and you plunge to your death, you shouldn’t do it alone.”

  To my surprise, he broke out into a deep, sexy laugh.

  The sound of it sent shi
vers down my spine, my nipples tightening in response. Thoughts whirled through my brain as I tried to remember something, anything about last night. I was so distracted by that, I didn’t realize how little of a line there was until he came to a stop just a few feet away from the gate and announced, “Looks like we’ll get to be on the next one.”

  “Great…wait, the next one?” I looked around, panicked.

  “Hey, look at me.” His voice, low and cajoling, had me doing just that, and I sucked in a breath when my eyes met his. He’d dipped his head, and we were practically eye to eye. “It’s just like any other roller coaster. Anchored with steel into concrete. It’s safety checked just like any coaster.”

  “It’s hundreds of feet in the air,” I said weakly.

  “If you don’t want to ride, don’t ride.” He crooked a grin at me. “I won’t plunge to my death, I promise. Wouldn't want to make you a widow, after all.”

  I almost got out of the line, but for some reason, I couldn’t walk away. Not from him. “I…no, I’m riding.”

  “Then look at me. Don’t look around you. Don’t think about it being on a building.” He brushed my hair back from my face and his thumb came in contact with my skin.

  Rough, calloused…different from what I was used to. In my social circle, I typically only met a certain type of guy. It sort of limited my dating to that certain type of guy. Most of them had manicures about as often as I did.

  What would it feel like to have a man with calloused hands touching me in more intimate places?

  My breathing hitched, and I tightened my hand around his wrist. I didn’t even realize I’d reached up to grab him until I felt his pulse beating against my fingers.

  “You’re scared,” he said grimly. “Come on. Let’s forget this.”

  “No.” I startled myself with the strength of my response. “I’m…well, yes, I’m scared. But…”

  “Tickets, please.”

  I backed away from him, swallowing nervously. What would he think if he knew the reason I’d grabbed him, that the reason I was breathing hard had nothing to do with the coaster and everything to do with him?

  “We’re getting out of line,” Kaleb said.

  But before he could take action to echo his words, I grabbed the tickets from his hand and shoved them at the ride attendant. Blindly staring at Kaleb, I said, “No, we’re not. Come on, hubby. It’s kind of our honeymoon, right? Let’s live a little.”

  “But…”

  I pulled his arm. “Let’s do it before I lose my courage!”

  He chuckled and started to walk with me. “You’ve got more nerve than a lot of people I know.”

  Once we were sitting and had to deal with the restraints, I squeezed my eyes closed. He must have noticed because he took over helping me with the safety harness when I fumbled. When he took my hand in his, my heart flipped a little.

  “You’re going to love it, Piety.”

  “Yeah…right. Just like dinner with Mom and Dad,” I said glibly. I opened one eye a fraction. Oh, no…

  In my head, I was screaming, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I’d hit my head and was suffering massive personality changes. I’d hit my head and was delusional. I’d hit my head and lost my free will. I was having a nightmare. Something…

  Then he squeezed my hand. “It’s almost ready to go.”

  No…no dream. He was rubbing his thumb up and down the inside of my wrist. It was a slow rhythm, probably meant to be soothing. But I felt each stroke in places that had nothing to do with my wrist – or my arm. My nipples had contracted to hard little points, and my pussy throbbed. If I could have moved, I might have been squirming in my seat.

  What is wrong with me…?

  “Here we go…”

  The rest of his voice was drowned out by the shouts of others and the roar of metal on metal.

  I opened my eyes. “I changed my mind! Let me off!” I shouted desperately as the lights of the city began to rush closer. We were going to fly right off this damn thing.

  Then we were being pulled right back.

  “Oh, shit. I don’t…”

  He squeezed my hand again.

  We plummeted forward. The lights whirled, and Kaleb’s knee pressed into mine.

  Oh…

  I didn't know when I started to laugh, but I was still laughing when he helped me out of the car, and I collapsed against him, feeling almost delirious from adrenaline…and want.

  “It looks like you had fun.” He brushed my hair back. The wind had blown it all over the place.

  I returned the favor, still giggling even as the feel of his soft hair sent a wave of heat through me. “I didn’t. I hated it. I think it’s…” Another snort of laughter escaped me. “I think it’s stress giggling.”

  “Is that a thing?”

  We started to walk, and I elbowed him in the side. “Don’t make fun.”

  “Want to ride again?”

  I shot the coaster a look. “No!” But the thought of having him holding my hand, feeling the hard length of his thigh against mine…Shit. “I don’t know. There are other rides in Vegas. Or we could go get dinner.”

  To my surprise, he pulled me against him for a hug, and this time, he was the one laughing. “You did have fun, see? You almost thought about getting back on, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah.” I blushed and caught his hand, tugging him along with me so he wouldn’t notice. I wasn’t quite ready to tell him the only reason I was even tempted was because he would be on there with me. I felt like I was in ninth grade all over again, crushing over the cute boy who had helped me with advanced algebra two.

  “What time should I meet you in the morning?”

  Kaleb had walked me back to my room, and now that he’d retrieved his bag, he looked like he was about ready to take off again.

  “I don’t know. Where’s your…” I stopped, feeling like an idiot. “Son of a bitch. You don’t have a hotel now, do you?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, no. I don’t see why you’re calling me a SOB for it though.”

  “I wasn’t…”

  He grinned at me, and I realized he was joking. “Ha, ha.” Rolling my eyes at him, I gestured at the bag. “What were you going to do? Wander the strip until you found a place? Go down to the desk and see if they had anything here?”

  “The idea occurred to me.” He shrugged, looking unconcerned.

  “Oh, for crying out loud.” I passed my key in front of the door, and as the electronic lock slid open, I said, “You can stay here. The couch has a fold-out.”

  My cheeks went red, but I continued talking as though we hadn’t already shared a bed the night before. What we’d done while we were drunk was different. We were stone cold sober now, and while I was seriously attracted to him, we didn’t know each other.

  That small fact couldn’t be overlooked.

  “That’s not necessary.” He backed away a step.

  I caught the handle of his duffel. “No, it’s not, but it makes more sense than you trying to find a room. If it takes you an hour or so, then you might not get much sleep, and we’ll have to make an extra stop on our way to the airport. Why not stay here? We can order up a pizza, a few beers…”

  “You know how to tempt a man.” He blew out a breath, staring off down the hallway. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he nodded. “I’ve got to make a call though.”

  “Sure.” A giddy sort of excitement unfurled through me as he followed me into the room. “No problem. Use the one in the bedroom suite if you want. Totally private.”

  He nodded and left his bag on the floor in the entryway, tucked neatly against the wall.

  As he walked off, I leaned my back against the door and watched him walk away.

  How crazy was it that part of me almost wished this was real?

  I’d had more fun with him today than I’d had in a long, long time.

  If only I’d…

  No. Don’t go thinking about kissing him, Piety. He’s a stra
nger.

  Yes, that was the voice of comment sense. I wanted to stuff a sock in its sensible mouth.

  Seven

  Kaleb

  Of course she’s going to make me sleep on the couch.

  Various parts of me – from my dick to my bruised ego – were arguing that I hadn’t spent last night on the couch.

  But last night we’d been drunk and stupid.

  Today we were sober, but I was clearly still stupid because I still wanted to get naked with a woman I barely knew. My cock was trying to lead me around, and I couldn’t let it. I had too many things going on. No, I actually only had one thing going on. One thing because I’d pretty much given up everything else for this. For her.

  Camry.

  She still hadn’t called back.

  I couldn’t keep letting myself get distracted over Piety, even as…distractible as she was.

  Like now. She bent over the table, putting something down, and my eyes strayed over the curve of her ass. I could see myself moving up behind her and cupping her hips, moving against her. She had a nice ass, round and tight and her legs were long, strong, and muscled. She’d mentioned a few things off and on during the day that made me think she was probably as active as I was – or as active as I had been before everything went to shit.

  Brooding, I turned away and carried my duffel over to the couch, staring at it for a long moment as I thought about Camry, the money I had to make – the money Piety was going to pay me. If this didn’t work…

  “What do you think?”

  I whipped my head around. “What?”

  Piety had moved up next to me, and I hadn’t even noticed. Staring down at her, I found myself wanting a taste of her mouth – one that I remembered.

  All I had in my head were disconnected bits and pieces, and it wasn’t nearly enough.

  She grinned. “You’re a little distracted there.”

  “Yeah. Thinking.” I focused back on the bag in front of me and unzipped it, as though something in there would be terribly fascinating.