by Claire Adams
Sienna's face had the red tinge of a coming tantrum. I felt bad for the caterers waiting for the elevator. They shuffled off towards the service elevator and I locked the door behind them.
When I turned around, all I could see was Kya. Pale streaks of orange broke over the horizon and her silhouette was clear, standing alone to face the sunrise.
"Hell of a party, huh?" I asked.
Kya jolted against the balcony railing, surprised that I had joined her outside. She swiped at her cheeks and turned away from me.
"Are you crying?" I asked. "Are you okay?"
"Don't be stupid. I don't have anything to cry about. I came out here to celebrate. Business success and all that," she said.
I could not keep my hands from wrapping around her shoulders. She pulled against the railing, stiff from my touch, but I did not let go. I turned her slowly and pulled her against my chest. Kya fought me, but then gave in for one sweet moment. The sky brightened and she nestled her head under my chin.
"It's too early in the morning for business," I said.
"Then, I should go," Kya said. She pulled away and headed for the door.
"Is that all you can do? Run for the door? Because that's exactly what you did the other morning," I snapped.
Kya whirled to face me, her eyes flashing emerald in the early morning light. "Excuse me? Of course, I left. What did you expect me to do?"
"Me?" I asked. "I guess I was fooled by your reputation. I thought you'd have the decency to stick around. I didn't know you were one of those love 'em and leave 'em girls."
"Of course, you would confuse that with a woman that has some dignity," Kya said.
"Dignity? Is that what you call skipping down to the pool to flirt with your next potential client?" I asked. My hands throbbed as my fingers curled into fists. I should have iced them hours ago, but I welcomed the pain. It only made me angrier at Kya. "Excuse me, if I thought you moved on a little too fast."
“You think I'm the one that moved on fast? You're the one that invited a stripper to the suite. Let me see if I have the timeline right– we had sex in front of the fire, we ate omelets, you invited the stripper to come join you, we had sex again, and then you fucked a stripper in the room next to mine!"
I burst out laughing. Kya's faced bloomed with an angry blush and she whirled towards the door again. I lunged towards it and land the flat of my hand hard against. Kya tried, but she could not pry the door open with me leaning on it. I laughed even harder when my phone started ringing.
"What is wrong with you?" Kya asked. "Is that her? By all means, answer it. I'll get out of your way."
I pushed against the door, giving Kya no choice, but to retreat to the opposite end of the balcony. There was no other door.
"Hello, Sis? Yeah, thanks. Yeah, I'm in a good mood, but you'll never guess. You were right. About Kya. Yeah, that's exactly what she thought." I said. I held out the phone. "Dana Maria wants to talk to you."
"What?" Kya asked. She gave the railing a wild look. "Why would I want to talk to her?"
"Because she's my sister. My sister came over that morning and you met her at the door," I said. My phone beeped and I looked at the screen and laughed. "Here, she's sent a pic of her holding out her driver's license."
Kya crept towards me and glanced at the phone. "And, her middle finger," she said.
"That's my sister!" I tried to stop laughing, but it erupted out of me again as I hung up on Dana Maria.
"It's not funny," Kya said. She crossed her arms tight over her chest. "I thought, I mean, you know what I thought."
"Well, now that you know, what are you thinking?"
Kya covered her face with her hands. "I'm thinking that I screwed everything up by going out with Jackson. It really was just to sign him. I mean, he wanted a real date and I was mad but, well, you were there. Nothing happened."
"Yeah," I said. "I was there. And, I forgot to tell you thanks for not letting me get Tasered." I pulled her hands from her face and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Business or not, you're there when I need you."
"And, how about now?" Kya asked.
I tipped her sweet lips to mine. "I need you now more than ever."
CHAPTER THIRTY
Kya
I could not stop a tear from sliding down my cheek. The fight, the party, the misunderstanding – it was scarier than the roller coaster that hung off the roof of the Stratosphere. Fenton brushed the tear away and leaned down to kiss me.
The soft murmur of his lips against mine erased the past few days and my body leaped at the close memory of his touch.
"No dancers, no golfers, just us," Fenton said.
"No reality stars, either?" I asked.
He pulled back and shook his head. "God no. She was most definitely just using me for her personal gain."
"You don't think that's what I was doing?" I asked. "I mean, of course, the contract is good for me, too, it's just that–"
He cut me off with a searing kiss that warmed me more than the brightening sunlight. I leaned against his hard body and gave into the explorations of his lips and tongue. Desire lapped against my body, crashing like waves against the rocks when his teeth nipped at my lips.
"Aren't you sore?" I asked. "I don't want to hurt you."
"How come," he asked in between feather light kisses, "you are the only one that has ever asked me that?"
"I don't want to hurt you," I said again.
"Then, you won't." He took my hand and led me inside. The master bedroom shared the same view as the balcony and the sunlight was just reaching the edges of the king-sized bed when he laid me down on top of the covers.
I shifted, rolling so he was underneath me, and paused to run my hands along his hard arms. I marveled at the contours of his muscles, the cut and flex of his arms. Fenton laid his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes in ecstasy. I continued my light caresses of his taut body, unbuttoning his shirt and letting my lips drift down his chest to the ridges of his stomach.
I tested his abs with my teeth and he sucked in his breath. It came out in a ragged sigh as I kissed my way along the waistband of his pants. Before I could continue my explorations, his hands locked on my arms and pulled me up to his lips for another melting kiss.
Lying on top of him, I could feel the solid ridge of his desire. I eased myself over it and rubbed, teasing us both. His hands were under my dress, slipping down my panties, and then loosening the buttons of his pants. I sat up and pulled my dress off over my head.
Fenton sat up to meet me, his hot kisses dropping from my lips to my breasts, his tongue flicking out to tease my nipples. I raised my hips up, lifting my breasts higher, aching for his kisses. He pulled one nipple into his mouth and tugged until I moaned at the sweet jolts it sent through my body. His hands circled my waist and guided me over him. I answered his nudge against my melting heat by widening my knees and sliding slowly down over him.
The throbbing pleasure and pressure of him deep inside me made me arch my back. Fenton's strong arms held me there as he rocked my hips against him. Then, he moaned and lay back, biting his lip to stop from going too fast. I leaned over him, my nipples tracing his chest as I slowly swept my hips back and forth. The friction and the building pressure took my breath away. Our lips panted together, the kisses open and interrupted by cries of pleasure.
I felt his hands lock on the curve of my back, Fenton spurring me to a faster rhythm, wanting me to ride him as the wave swept us both up and over a dizzying climax.
I fell against him, shuddering with the aftershocks of ecstasy. Fenton tucked me next to his body and wrapped the duvet around us both. He kissed my forehead and before I could smile, we both fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
#
When I woke up, it was with a strange sense of déjà vu. From the white edges of my pillow, I could see the signs of a wild party. Furniture from the suite's living room was stacked against the far wall of the master bedroom, beer bottles and empty glasse
s were on every available surface, and streamers thrown out by the DJ were crushed into the white carpet.
My body was heavy and languid, but not from a churning hangover. I smiled against my soft pillow and then turned my head. Fenton was fast asleep, his black hair tossed over his eyes, his stubble rasping against the pillowcase as he settled in deeper. We had come full circle from that first disastrous morning when I accidentally woke up in his bed.
I smothered a giggle as I reached for my phone, just as I had that first morning. It lay in the middle of the floor, dropped there as we had stumbled in the night before, tangled in our passion for each other. I was expecting my boss to call at any moment, and I did not want to disturb Fenton. I tried to slip out of bed and mute my phone, but it rang before I could reach it.
A shriek tore from my throat as an iron-banded arm snaked around my waist and hauled me back into bed.
"Let it go to voicemail," Fenton said. He buried his sleepy face in my hair and snuggled me down beside him. "You're not getting trying to sneak out again, are you? I seem to recall it didn't work that first time, either."
"Who says I wanted to sneak away?" I asked over my shoulder. I wriggled my backside against his warm body and Fenton moaned. "I just didn't want my phone to wake you up."
"You're right, that quiet ring was much more disturbing than you shrieking."
I turned over and slapped my pillow over his head. "That was your fault for grabbing me."
"Fine, go, turn your ringer off and come back to bed," he said.
He was irresistible with his black hair all tousled and his blue eyes a deeper, sleepy shade. I gave him a long, deep kiss before I slid out of bed. "I'll be right back."
I grabbed an oversized white robe from the bathroom and tied it around me before I snatched up the phone and slipped into the living room to check my voicemail. Instead of my boss, it was my real estate agent. He sounded panicked. I glanced back in the bedroom and Fenton was curled up sleeping again, so I called him back.
"There you are, wait, are you still out of town?" my real estate agent asked.
"Yes, why? Oh, no, I scheduled the inspection for today," I slapped a hand against my forehead. "I'm sorry, but I got hung up with work."
"Kya, you can't afford to forget about this place. It's perfect for a young, single executive like you. And, there's been another offer, a cash offer. I can do the inspection for you. We can close on this place by this afternoon," he said.
I could not breathe. The idea of losing the house was not what choked me, it was the house itself. Once I closed on it, I would be putting down roots in Chicago. What if I belonged somewhere else?
"I don't want to rush into anything," I said.
"This isn't something to wait on, they want to take the other deal," he said. "I've got to tell them something today."
I cleared my throat. "Then, tell them I'm out. The other people can have it. There will be other houses."
"Not in this neighborhood, not at this price. Remember the equity you can build with it?" My real estate agent started to panic.
"I'm just not ready. I'm sorry. We can talk more soon," I said. I felt bad, but I hung up the phone. My guilt was forgotten as soon as I caught sight of Fenton sitting up in bed. His black tattoos stood out against the white sheets and he rumpled his black hair while he yawned.
He pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and stood up. "I suppose you've got to be getting back to Chicago soon," he said.
I wondered how much of my phone conversation he had heard. "Maybe," I said.
"It'll be good, getting home, I bet. I mean, I'm happy you're here, but we both need to concentrate on work, stay focused. Right?" He stretched and headed for the bathroom without even looking at me.
"Work. Right," I said. I started to follow him, I needed to look in his eyes to understand what he was saying, but my phone rang. "Speaking of work, it's my boss."
Fenton waved me off and closed the bathroom door. I hesitated, but answered my boss' call.
"You pulled it off, you genius agent vixen!" James shouted.
"Too early for yelling, never a good time to call me a vixen," I said.
"I'll call you lord and master if you tell me the contract I sent out this morning is going to be signed by Fenton Morris. We will have the biggest party when you get back!"
I wandered out into the living room and leaned my forehead against the window. Vegas was bright in the late morning sun, and there were people teeming far below. The words "when you get back" sank into my stomach and I did not feel well.
"What if I don't come back?" I asked. "What if I stay in Vegas and work from here for a while? Would that be okay?"
"Okay? Okay? Are you freakin' kidding me? Can you imagine all the people you can sign? It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel. Plus, I'll have good reason to fly out on the weekends and check in," James chuckled at the thought. "Just get Fenton Morris signed and I'll add a move stipend on to your bonus."
"There's the door. Gotta go," I said. I hung up the phone, but Fenton beat me to the front door of the suite.
He signed for the papers and ripped open the manila envelope. "You don't waste any time, do you?" he asked.
"I sent my boss the message before we talked on the balcony," I said.
"Your boss. He's still going to give you a bonus for signing me, right?" Fenton asked. He grabbed a pen from the desk by the door.
"Actually, he just sweetened the deal," I said.
Fenton cut me off. "Well, here's to your picket fence and your private office and all the perfect stability that comes with it."
"You say that like it’s a bad thing," I snapped. "Like it’s so unreasonable to want a little stability. I guess that's not in your lone wolf agenda, huh?"
"Come on, Kya, you're seriously telling me you haven't enjoyed being let off the leash here in Vegas?" He asked. He signed the contract hard. "This is all the stability I need for now. I'm not stupid enough to predict what the future holds and what I might want from it."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Sure, you can't even predict what you'll want in the next five minutes, though it certainly seems like it’s not going to be me."
Fenton flung the contract aside and grabbed my arms. His kiss was hard, demanding, and left me breathless.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Kya
When I softened, Fenton smiled against my lips. His hands slid around my waist and cradled me close against his hips. Instead of pushing him away, my hands caressed his chest, then up to the bare skin of his neck. I twirled my fingers into his thick black hair and let myself hope.
"I want you, Kya," Fenton said. "I can't seem to help it."
"So it would be easier if I had to go back to Chicago?" I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders under my hands. "I'm not going to lie. If you were in Chicago, it would be a lot easier for me to focus."
He shifted against me and even the slight friction caused a wave of heat between us. He smiled and kissed me again, deeper, hungrier.
I broke away before my thoughts were completely unraveled. "But I like it here in Las Vegas," I said. "Plus, it makes a lot of sense for my career."
"I don't distract you from your work?" he asked.
I tipped my head and looked into his bright blue eyes. "Unlike you, I can balance life and work."
My phone rang and a spark of mischief flashed in Fenton's eyes. "I bet that's work," he said. He pulled me tighter against him and his lips sought mine for another dizzying drink.
I almost forgot what the ringing sound meant as I tangled my hands in his hair and hung on. When I finally broke away, I swayed and he laughed.
"How's that balance?" he asked.
I rolled my eyes at him, but had to steady myself against the kitchen counter as I answered the still-ringing phone. "Hello?"
"Ms. Allen, I thought you had forgotten about me," Jackson McRay's voice was light and mocking. "Celebrating the big win of your blue collar brawler, I suppose."
; "I'm surprised to hear from you, I thought the tournament started today," I said.
"I played my first round already this morning. Aren't you supposed to keep up with such things?"
"I do. I will. Now that I know you are interested in becoming a client," I said. I turned away from Fenton who stood with his arms crossed, clearly listening to my half of the conversation.
"Well, then, I can catch you up. I'm actually in the Tropicana. Why don't you invite me up for a cup of coffee? I'll jump on the elevator and see you in a few," Jackson said. He hung up the phone.
I felt a swirl of panic in my stomach as I turned back around. Fenton frowned at me, his arms crossed tighter than before. "Looks like it’s less about balance and more about juggling," I said. "Jackson McRay, the golfer, is on his way up to the suite for a cup of coffee. We have possible business to discuss."
He followed me into the master bedroom as I yanked a cardigan over my white t-shirt and tried to make myself look presentable. I was relieved to see the red blush across my cheeks was fading. Then, Fenton caught me in his arms again.
"Are you sure you don't want to blow off the coffee meeting and jump in the shower with me?" he asked. His fingers danced up and down my back.
I shivered with pleasure and pushed him away. "I see what you're doing. You're trying to make me screw up this contract so I have to go back to Chicago."
He shook his head. "It would be easier to concentrate, but I like you in Vegas. I want you in Vegas."
There was a sharp knock on the suite door. I could not help but brush a soft kiss across Fenton's lips before I hurried away across the suite to let Jackson in. As the golfer strode inside, I glanced back and saw Fenton disappear into the second bedroom.
The knot of worry in my chest loosened. "Good morning, I think there's still some hot coffee in the pot. Unless you'd rather go downstairs?"
"Whatever you've got is fine. Wow, must have been some party here last night," Jackson said. "You throw a big bash every time your client does well?"
"I didn't have much of a choice. Fenton decided to stay here when the MGM Grand kicked him out," I said. I glanced at the second bedroom, worried the door would fly open any minute. Better that Jackson heard from me than found out through one of Fenton's grand entrances.