by Storm, Sloan
I wasn't concerned in the least. Now, with Sneaks coming around, I could relax and enjoy the rest of my trip with the fellas.
God knows I needed it.
The night got off to a fast start. After dinner, we hit up the high rollers lounge raking in a couple hundred grand in a few hours. With cash to burn, we went club hopping and even hit up a couple of strip clubs before returning to Trav and Gunnar's suite at the hotel early in the morning.
"I still can't believe it, man." Trav grabbed a seat next to me on a huge ultramodern couch overlooking the Strip. "Griff Foster. Off the market for good…"
"For now." Gunnar chuckled. "Lily's awesome and everything, man, but come on."
I shook my head. "No man. Forever. The three of us have had our fun. You know my history. Trust me. When you find that one special woman, you'll know. I have zero fucking doubt."
Gunnar raised his glass. "To Lily and zero fucking doubt. May we all be so fortunate."
Trav and I touched glasses. I'd hardly had any booze since coming to Vegas, tonight included. You'd think your bachelor party is one night where you'd let it all cut loose, but I had no interest. After working so hard to get Sneaks back, the last thing I wanted was to get drunk and do something stupid when so much was at stake.
Just then, I heard a bunch of commotion in the hall. Bodies hitting walls, the sound of women laughing and giggling. It could only mean one thing - the entertainment had arrived. Before they came barreling in, I took the opportunity to remind the boys that the strippers or hookers or whatever were off limits for me.
Of course they took the same opportunity to bust my balls about it, reminding me of everything I'd be missing out on. Trav hammered back the last of his drink while the girls knocked at the door to the suite.
"That's some Grade A trim out in the hall, bro. All of it is top shelf. You sure we can't change your mind?"
I waved them off. "All yours. You two can have my fun for yourselves."
A few minutes later, the girls began filing inside. They weren't shitting me. All of them were fucking knockouts. I counted six altogether, more than enough to keep the two of them occupied for the night.
It wasn't long before the drinks were flowing and the girls were peeling off their clothes, doing their best to try and entice me. Trav and Gunnar gave me a little grief one last time before letting the girls know I wasn't interested.
It's funny. For the first time in my life, I hadn't gotten hard looking at a single naked woman all night long, including them.
None of these women held a candle to Sneaks.
Shit, I used to have the energy for this. I wasn't even really tired, just… Bored? Never thought I'd live to see the day I'd be bored at my own fucking bachelor party. I reached down between my legs and grabbed my balls.
Yep, still there.
Time ticked by, and I'd had my fill. From the looks of things, it wouldn't be long before Trav and Gunnar took girls to their bedrooms. I didn't need to be around for any of that.
Before I bolted, I thanked them both for being the best friends a guy could hope to have.
The only thing on my mind was Sneaks.
Now and forever.
* * *
I hadn't been back in my suite for long when there was a knock at the door. Now what?
"Who is it?" I yelled.
Even from across the room, I heard the sound of nails clawing, followed by an impatient drumming and a voice I didn't recognize.
"C'mon Griff, open up."
Christ. I guess sleep is fucking out.
Walking over, I ripped the door open, startling the shit out of her. "Jesus! You could have warned me!"
Not gonna bullshit. She was fucking fine. Easy ten. And pretty much exactly the kind of tail I liked to get my hungry mitts on pre-Mrs.-Foster-to-be. No clue who the fuck she was or how she knew my name, though. I wouldn't forget talking to a piece of ass like this.
But anyway, not tonight or for that matter, ever.
"What's up? Do I know you?"
She flipped her hair away from her face. "Sorry, I'm Tabitha. I tried to catch you before you left the party. I…"
Ah, okay. A whore. Shoulda known.
"Yeah, sweetheart, listen, not sure what they told ya, but I'm not interested."
With that, I went to shut the door in her face, but she hooked her hand around it. Fuck. Seriously? Gotta give it to her, at least she didn't pretend to be insulted or something.
"Okay, cool. Umm, do you mind if I use your bathroom real quick? You know, before I go back? Gotta check my face."
Fucking merchandise looked good to me but whatever. I stepped to one side. "Make it quick."
If she took ten minutes, it was a goddamn hour.
"Sorry," she said, sliding her clutch under her arm when she reappeared. "So, someone is on their way to get me. Can I wait here instead of down in the lobby? I'm not in the mood for swinging dicks right now."
Not in the mood for swinging dicks? That's your job, honey. I glanced at the hallway, thinking I'd just stick her out there. The last thing I wanted to do was babysit this bimbo.
Like an idiot, I closed the door. "Tell them to hurry the fuck up."
"I will." She pulled her phone in front her face, fingers stamping out a quick text. "Do you mind if I have a drink?"
At this point, what's the difference?
"Nope. Help yourself. I gotta piss."
A few minutes later, I came back and caught her out of the corner of my eye, messing around at the bar doing God knows what.
"Oh hey! Do you want anything? Jack and Diet?"
"No."
"Well, I don't want a whole can. Split it with me?"
I shook my head at this chick. Unreal. Just then, my cell phone vibrated.
Sneaks.
At last, some normal fucking conversation, and not a moment too soon.
just woke up 4 sum reason. thinkin bout u. i know i shouldn't b bothering u. hope u r having fun
I typed a quick reply…
not as much as i would with u baby
No sooner had I added to my text with a rapid fire of kiss emojis than the chick was in my face, shoving a glass of soda at me.
"Here you go."
I grimaced and slid the phone in my pocket.
"Thanks." I took it from her, regretting the decision I'd made a few minutes earlier. "Look, I'm beat. I'd prefer it if you left. If you want to wait in the hall or whatever, that's fine by me."
She chewed on her lower lip. Disappointed, I'm sure.
"Sure, okay. Sorry about barging in."
I shrugged. "Don't worry about it." I felt a little sorry for the whore. I'm sure she was counting on the trick.
The chick rebounded quick, though, her face brightening. "Hey, how about a toast?"
"To what?"
"Your marriage, of course." Her red, full lips spread, and a mouthful of white beamed back me.
Marriage. Damn, just thinking about Sneaks got my juices going. I couldn't wait to get home to her again. I looked at the hooker. There was time when she would have been enough to satisfy me for a night. After all, she was a legit knockout. No idea why she was selling that pussy for pennies. Anyway, that need I used to have was gone now, replaced by something irreplaceable.
"Why not?" I nodded at her, and our glasses touched.
She lowered the drink from her lips. "Mind if I finish this before I go out in the hall?"
I looked at my watch. "Ten minutes."
With that, she turned her back on me and started wandering around. "I've been in a bunch of the suites here, but never this one. It's amazing."
Surprising. Grade A pussy like that, and she'd never landed a whale? Seemed strange.
I shrugged. "Yeah, it's okay, I guess."
By then, she'd made her way to the huge bank of windows looking down on the Strip.
"Okay?" She turned and looked at me. "Mister, if you think this is just okay, I can't imagine what good is to you!"
Mister?
What am I, fifty fucking years old here?
"Five minutes." I took another pull on the soda. "Hurry up."
She headed back in my direction when all of a sudden, it seemed like the floor shifted under my feet. I steadied myself and looked at her.
"Did you feel that?"
She closed on me. "What?"
"The floor, it fucking moved. You didn't feel it?"
She took a sip of her drink and shook her head. "Mm, mmm. Are you okay?"
While she answered me, it happened again, only this time, it felt like my knees were about to give way. Christ. Was this an earthquake? Did they have earthquakes in Vegas? I had no clue.
"Hey!" she yelped, extending her arm toward me. "Careful!"
It was too late, I staggered to the left and banged into the wall. Reorienting myself, I tried to stand but couldn't.
"Do you need to call someone?" The whore knelt down near me. "You don't look good."
Shaking my head, I blinked, trying to focus on her. Swear to God the chick had five heads, looking back at me like a mythical hydra.
"Fuck," I moaned, wiping my hand down my face. "What the hell."
"Sweetie, give me your phone. I'll call someone to come help. I…"
The room went dark.
It was the last thing I remembered.
26
Played (Lily)
I had kind of a restless night, sleeping for a while and then waking up. It had been a couple of hours or so since my last text message from Griff.
Even though I felt sort of clingy for sending it, he seemed to enjoy it. The truth was, I missed him. We'd been spending so much time together in recent days, I guess I'd gotten used to having him around. On the other hand, it was nice having some time to myself after the whirlwind we'd been through. Between Mom being in town and all the wedding preparation, I was beat.
I mean, I should've been asleep. I guess I was just wired.
Closing my eyes, I laid there for a few minutes and could feel sleep returning to me. Finally.
I'd almost drifted off when my phone started to vibrate. Several messages came through in a hurry. It had to be Griff, but why would he send so many at once? If something was wrong, wouldn't he just call?
With a sigh, I turned and reached toward the nightstand, slapping around in the darkness until my hand found the phone. I eased back into the pillow and held it up in front of my face, swiping it on.
Huh? The fuck!
My eyes flipped wide open, and I crawled backwards on my elbows, pushing myself into a seated position against the headboard.
It couldn't be. Not possible.
Is he?
No. No, no, no.
I had to be imagining it.
With shaking fingers, I scrolled through the text messages. Each one of them was like a still frame from a crime scene, starring the murder of my soul. There was image after image of him naked with a woman. The lighting wasn't great. I rubbed my eyes and took a second look.
I couldn't be certain, but it looked like they were having sex! If that weren't enough, each image had a message attached to it…
In the first one, her body was draped across his, one of his hands on her bare ass.
I can't wait to get my hands on your ass every night after were married…
In the next, she straddled him, his fingers resting on her hips.
Her pussy is tight but yours is soooo much tighter…
And in the final one, a picture of her tongue licking his balls!
This whore gives great head but nothing like you…
A nauseating, sweet sensation gathered in my throat. I thought I might be sick.
"Ahhhhh!!" I threw my phone across the room. "Asshole! Sleazy, disgusting creep! Fucking liar!"
I thrashed in the covers before ripping them away from my body. Jumping out of bed, I slammed my feet to the ground, pacing back and forth across the room. While I walked, I stared at the phone, trembling and shaking.
It's not real. It just can't be. I reached toward my head, thrusting my fingers into my hair and squeezing the roots. I must have imagined it. That's the only explanation. After everything we'd been through and the way he'd acted, it didn't make any sense.
It can't be true. Please God. Please no.
I sucked in a deep breath and stared at the phone again. After walking across the room, I knelt down. With clammy, cold hands I picked it up and swiped it on, mumbling a silent prayer.
The display lit up, and I realized it wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. Torturing myself, I scrolled through the images and the cruel messages again, dropping to my knees. Tears rained down, hitting the surface of the phone while I collapsed and wept. Dropping the phone again, I rolled over on my side.
How could he be so vicious and cruel?
What kind of monster would do something like this?
Broken, I laid there crying and shivering. After I'd worked so hard to keep my defenses up to protect myself, he'd struck when I was most vulnerable. Was this all a cruel hoax? Was he waiting for that perfect moment when he thought I'd forgiven him?
If that was his goal, he'd accomplished it. Exposed. Vulnerable. Used. You name it. Whatever his twisted game, Griff Foster played me to perfection.
The tears began to slow, and in their place, a cold emptiness.
Why hadn't I trusted my instincts? Why had I let him back in?
Dragging myself to my feet, I staggered to the bed and sat down. There would be no fairytale wedding. This was a lie. It always had been, and the pictures on his phone proved it. Shit, I'd never been so cold! Pulling my knees to my chest, I grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around me, desperate for warmth.
My cheeks were like ice, frozen by tears of grief.
My mind blank, I sat there for several minutes until my wits started to return. Nothing made sense, but it didn't change what I had to do. I had to get the hell out of there. I drew a sharp breath and stood from the bed again, dropping the warmth of the sheets away from me.
Without wasting any time, I gathered up the things I brought with me from home. Nothing more. There wasn't going to be a single goddamn excuse for him to see me again.
Now, I just had to find a way to get there. Good fucking luck.
Not only was it approaching four o'clock in the morning, but I doubted I could get an Uber all the way back to the coast. I snatched my phone off the floor again and swiped it on, looking away while I closed my texting app. After several minutes of searching, I found I could take a bus to the coast and figure it out from there.
Aside from all the other problems I had, there was another. The damn bus station didn't open until eight in the morning, which meant I was stuck there.
With my packed bag next to the bed, I laid down and exhaled a shaky breath.
"Where are you now, Tiny Me? Don't you want to rub it in?"
After turning off my phone, I tossed it to the side and closed my eyes. Not like I was going to sleep or anything. But somehow, I did. I had no idea how many times I woke up, thinking I'd dreamed all of it. By the time the first traces of sunlight shined on my aching, tired eyes, I knew it would be the last morning I'd ever see from Griff Foster's place.
Disconnected from my grief, I went through the motions like a robot, showering and getting dressed.
On the way out the door, I stopped at the kitchen and left him a seven word note, the key to his place, and the engagement ring. I exited through a side entrance to avoid Terrance and hailed a cab. After a quick ride across town, I arrived at the bus station and bought my one-way ticket home.
Good riddance.
I'm not sure why exactly, but I managed to fall asleep, no, pass out, on the way and didn't wake up until it stopped, dropping me off at the bus station in the middle of town. Mom's house was only a couple of miles away, but I was in no shape to talk to her about what happened. I still had a hard time getting my mind around it.
More than anything, I needed some time alone, some time to think, some time to cry.
I decided to check in to a hotel a few blocks away.
There'd be plenty of time for talk later.
27
Tabitha'ed (Griff)
Fuck. Me.
"Ahhhhhhhh…" I winced. My head felt like it had been crushed in a vice.
I peeked through half-opened eyelids into a near pitch black room. Only slivers of light around the edges of the blackout curtains told me it wasn't nighttime any longer. Even so, I was glad they were closed, I didn't think the jackhammering in my brain could stand a single ray of sunshine.
Awareness made a slow return.
First things first, why the hell was I naked? Not only that, but I was fucking cold and sweating at the same time, sheets strewn all over the place. I tried to focus. What happened?
Then I remembered…
Tabitha.
"Hey!" I yelled without thinking.
Ah, Christ! My temples throbbed. Where is my fucking phone?
I grabbed a fistful of sheets and pulled them away from my body when I heard a thud. My phone.
No response from the whore. Was she still here? Did she leave? I couldn't remember a fucking thing except that she was waiting for a ride.
How did I wind up in bed?
Somehow I managed to pick up my phone and swipe it on. Right away, my messenger app loaded, and so did a bunch of pictures I didn't recognize. I squinted at the tiny screen.
What the hell? Why am I naked, and what the hell's that bitch doing on top of me?
Shit! Licking my balls!
And then I looked at the recipient… Sneaks.
Oh man. She'd seen them, all marked read. What the?
Pinching my eyes shut, I rubbed them and struggled to remember anything. The simple fact I couldn't meant only one thing. The hooker roofied me. If we did have sex, I didn't remember a thing about it.
Holding out zero hope, I tried to call Sneaks, but she didn't answer. It went straight to voicemail.
"Fuck," I groaned. "This is bad. Really fucking bad."
It took a good hour for the throbbing to subside. Even though it still felt like someone had been kicking me in the brain all night, I got my shit together enough to call Trav and Gunnar. They were in charge of the girls. One way or another, I was going to track this bitch down and get the answers I wanted.