Covet

by Rosanna Leo

  Alex didn’t run into Dana until the next night, but their conversation had played on a loop in his head the whole time. Considering he’d been in and out of meetings all day, it was frustrating. They were in the process of hiring two new directors, one for cage operations and the other for revenue management, and Alex had wanted to meet all the candidates for these high-profile jobs. The last thing he needed as he shook hands with potential directors was to be imagining all the ways he could please Dana.

  He knew her question had been blurted innocently enough, but it was hard not to give it some naughty subtext.

  He never thought he would hear her sexy moans again, but a few minutes in her presence told him he had a chance. Maybe, if he handled things right, he could convince Dana they had a connection worth exploring.

  What are you doing?

  Their only connection was a few minutes of hot sex. If he honestly thought it was the basis for something more, he was a fool.

  Besides, he didn’t want anything more, not until he sorted himself out. Dating just wasn’t in the cards right now. After buggering up his relationship with Shannon, the woman he’d initially pegged as his partner for life, did he actually think he could achieve more with Dana? He knew nothing about her.

  That didn’t stop him from wanting to know everything.

  Put her out of your head.

  Emptying his brain of the carnal imagery, he focused on his last task of the long work day. On his way to his apartment, he stopped in to talk to the night manager at the reception desk. He’d asked the manager to provide an update on how the staff was handling the new reservation system. Now that the IT department had worked out a couple of the bugs with their online reservations, everyone was much happier and less stressed.

  When he finished speaking with the desk manager, he turned and made a beeline for his private elevator.

  The sound of feminine laughter caught his attention. Four women crossed the lobby, three Black women and a Latina. They were dressed for a night on the town. A soft perfume cloud surrounded them, making him want to breathe deeply and be part of their world.

  It was Dana and her friends.

  She and two of the others held “mile-high” slushie drinks from the bar.

  Although all four of the women looked glamorous, it was Dana who trapped his gaze. She looked amazing.

  Her short, pale pink dress might actually be considered modest for Vegas standards, but it fired up his imagination just fine. The dress itself wasn’t tight or revealing. In fact, with long sleeves and a neckline that sat around her collarbones, it showed little skin above her thighs.

  But those thighs.

  It came to rest a few inches below her ass. A line of sequins dotted the hem, drawing his gaze to those incredible legs. She wore sparkly silver heels with little straps around her ankles.

  So fucking sexy.

  Something roared to life inside Alex.

  So much for putting her out of his head.

  Although she made for a pretty picture, it wasn’t just the dress that attracted him. She laughed at something one of her friends said and her face was the picture of happiness. It was the first time he’d seen this carefree side of her and it made him greedy to see her like this again. He wanted her smiles and laughter and happiness, but he wanted them all to himself.

  Most troubling of all, he wanted to inspire her joy.

  Stop looking at her. You look like a stalker.

  Shaking his head, Alex looked away. It didn’t matter. Her throaty laugh reached his ears a couple of times and then he thought he heard his name.

  His fantasies were getting away with him.

  “Alex!”

  He turned around.

  To his surprise, Dana grabbed one of her friends by the arm and led them over to him. She waved, said something to one of the ladies, and giggled. Perched on her high heels, she tripped on her own feet, righted herself, and laughed out loud.

  Now he understood why she was so carefree. She’d had one too many slushies.

  “Alex,” she said when they reached him. “My buddy. I was thinking of you today.”

  Good. Hopefully he’d driven her as mad with curiosity as she’d driven him. “Hello, buddy.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re still working. It’s ten o’clock.” She took a sip of her slush drink through the tall straw, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and grinned.

  She was definitely tipsy.

  “I’m afraid so. No rest for the wicked, as they say.”

  “Wicked, huh?” Her dark eyes warmed. She patted his arm, squeezing his biceps. “All work and no play make Alex a dull boy.”

  Her friends traded looks.

  One of them, a woman whose dark eyes had the same shape as Dana’s, pulled her arm back. “Don’t mind my sister. I think she snuck a couple of extra slushies when we weren’t looking.”

  “Who’s counting?” said Dana. “You’re in Vegas now, honey. No one counts the drinks here. Isn’t that right, Alex?” She cleared her throat. “Where are my manners? Ladies, meet Alex Markov. Alex, this is my sister Anise, and our friends Jea and Bessica.” She snorted. “Oh, my God. I mean, Bea and Jessica. Alex is the nice man who put us up in those glamorous suites.”

  The other women thanked him and took turns shaking his hand.

  When Anise shook his hand, her eyebrow arched. “That was very generous of you.”

  Alex recognized a fellow skeptic when he met one. “Just trying to make a bad situation better.”

  Dana inhaled the last of her drink.

  Anise lifted the long cocktail glass out of Dana’s hands and set it on a nearby table. “You’re cut off.”

  “Hey, the prude is just trying to have some fun. Don’t be such a stick in the mud.” She let out an exaggerated sigh.

  Tipsy Dana appreciated a bit of drama. So unlike her sober counterpart.

  “We’re hitting the Strip, Alex,” she continued. “You should come out with us. You look like you need a break.”

  “That’s nice of you to offer, but this is your party, not mine.”

  “Oh, come on.”

  His face heated. “Where are you going?”

  “The House of Sin.” Bea grinned. “You know, the male revue at the other end of the Strip. Their idea, not mine.”

  “Ah. I might have to take a pass on that one.”

  “Don’t be a drag, Alex. We’re gonna get busy with some hotties. You could be one of them.” Dana threw up her hands and began to shimmy next to her sister.

  Yeah, she had definitely had one too many slushies. The woman standing in front of him was nothing like the woman he’d spoken to yesterday.

  Alex bristled when he thought of an inebriated Dana at a male strip club. She could get up to all sorts of trouble. He knew for a fact many of these establishments turned a blind eye when it came to sex between their clients and the dancers. And if she had an amount of cash with her…

  His pulse quickened.

  He couldn’t very well accompany her. He really would look like a stalker. Even still, the thought of her in a compromising position made his stomach lurch.

  “I apologize for my sister,” said Anise, as Dana continued to dance to a song in her head. “She never gets carried away like this.”

  “I figured as much,” he said, pulling out his cellphone. “Let me arrange a ride for you. I’ll get one of my security people to take you to the club and he’ll stick around to bring you home later.”

  “Oh,” said Anise. “That’s kind of you, but you don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to.” Before Anise could argue, he called Wade. He’d just finished up a shift and had made it clear he was up for a bit of overtime. “Wade Kennedy is one of my best men. He’ll be here in just a couple of minutes and will make sure you get there and back safely.”

  Alex would also ask Wade to keep an eye on things at the House of Sin. If anyone tried to take advantage of Dana’s state, Wade would put a stop to it.

  “
Thank you, Alex,” said Anise.

  “It’s no trouble.”

  Although Dana hadn’t been listening to the tail end of their conversation, she latched onto this last part. She grabbed his arm and hugged it. “Alex is such a sweetheart and such a good listener. He remembers everything. And look at the way he fills out his suit. Alex, honey, you’re like a six-foot piece of candy. I bet all the girls want to lick you.”

  The other women gawked.

  “So that’s why I keep seeing random tongues.” Still hot in the face, Alex gently extricated his arm from Dana’s clutches. “Have a great night, ladies.”

  Dana held out her arms. “No hug?”

  When he spotted Anise’s frown, Alex refrained. “Good night, Dana.”

  She mimicked his stern tone and pretended to salute like a soldier. “Good night, Alex, sir!” She burst into laughter.

  His pulse continuing to misbehave, Alex headed toward the private elevators.

  Something told him he’d be up all night, fighting the urge to text Wade for updates every five minutes.

  ***

  Clack, clack, clack.

  Every time someone spun the roulette wheel, Dana winced. Why did they make those devices so goddamned loud? She wouldn’t have thought such a tiny ball could create such a clamor in her head.

  The commotion escalated when some lady shouted in triumph as her number was called.

  “I can’t watch anymore. It’s giving me a headache.”

  “The roulette wheel is giving you a headache?” Anise patted Dana’s back. “I could have sworn it was the drinks last night that gave you that headache.”

  Dana grunted.

  “Someone got mighty happy at the House of Sin,” teased Jessica.

  “Are you kidding me?” said Bea. “Someone was pretty happy before she ever stepped foot inside the place.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Dana groaned. “So you all keep telling me.”

  “You can’t blame us,” said Bea. “That was the first time I’ve ever seen you like that. You’re a silly drunk, Dana.”

  “I wasn’t drunk. I just overindulged a bit.” She wandered away from the roulette wheel and into another section of the Vice casino, the others following her.

  “What exactly did you drink before we got our slushies?” asked Anise.

  “I had some wine in my room while I was getting dressed,” replied Dana. “It must have been strong. Are we honestly keeping score?”

  “The tables have turned, little sister.” Anise smirked and wagged her finger. “You lectured me a lot during my misspent youth. Consider this payback.”

  “Payback, right. Only I thought we were supposed to be having fun. Isn’t that part of our manifesto for the week?”

  “We are having fun,” said Anise. “Some of us more than others, that’s all. If only Tommy knew what you were getting up to in that private room with Rico.”

  Tommy, Tommy, Tommy. Why did Anise have to keep mentioning Tommy?

  Jessica laughed. “Don’t forget, Anise. His full name is Rico Maximum.”

  “As in maximum girth.” Bea cackled. “He wasn’t lying.”

  “I don’t care what he said. That thing was not real.” Jessica shook her head. “You touched it, Dana. Did it feel real?”

  “I didn’t touch it. How many times do I have to tell you guys? He just gave me a lap dance. Besides, with Wade watching over me, poor Rico could barely perform. I think he scared him.”

  “Poor Rico.”

  When Anise repeated her words, they all burst out laughing again, which only made her head hurt more.

  “Ah, Wade was adorable,” said Bea. “Such a sweet man.”

  “He looked so uncomfortable.” Jessica bit her lip. “All night long, he kept averting his gaze so he wouldn’t make eye contact with any of the penises.”

  “We need to bring him out more often,” added Bea.

  “It’s a good thing Alex asked him to join us,” said Jessica, elbowing Dana. “God only knows what sort of trouble you might have gotten into, Miss Thing.”

  Alex.

  Dana’s memories of the evening had been foggy, but Anise and her friends had taken great delight in regaling her with every detail that morning. They said she’d been all over Alex, begging him for hugs and calling him “a six-foot piece of candy.”

  She wasn’t sure if it was her hangover or her embarrassment that hurt worse.

  “I can handle myself, you know.”

  “Really?” Anise laughed. “Last night, you were like a teenager with her first wine cooler. You kept inviting strange men to make you ‘feel like a woman.’ Thank God Wade was there to act as your personal bouncer. I don’t think the three of us could have corralled you.”

  Anise may have dismissed Dana’s antics with a laugh but there was an undertone in her voice. She wasn’t sure why Anise was so ready to pass judgment on her for having a couple of drinks. Hadn’t she accused her of being a prude the other day? She should be proud Dana had let her hair down. Anise had no right to talk. She’d driven their parents to distraction in her college days. When she had, Dana had never judged her.

  Okay, maybe a little, but she’d always been there for her.

  There was no sense bringing up ancient history, but her sister’s attitude still pissed her off. “I thought this was our week of yesses.”

  “You’re right. I’ll stop teasing. I’ve just never seen that side of you before. I have to admit it made me a bit nervous.”

  “It was a one-off. I’m fine.” Her head was pounding and she was sure Alex would flee the next time he saw her, but she was fine.

  “Let’s try the slots.” Bea led them toward a bank of bright machines.

  A new cacophony exploded in Dana’s head as they neared the slots. The ever-present clink of coins being inserted into the machines warred with the computerized music. Every so often, someone won a chunk of change and the thunderous evacuation of coins made Dana lightheaded.

  “Now,” said Bea, “the trick is to find a slot machine someone just vacated. Because you know how it goes, the minute you leave a slot machine is when it pays out.”

  Their walks around Vice had led them through the casino several times now. Despite not having played the slots yet, Dana had seen lots of others doing so and was beginning to recognize patterns. She had yet to anything resembling the phenomenon Bea described. “What do you mean, a slot machine someone just vacated? No one leaves their slot machines. Have you noticed? I’m seeing the same faces over and over again.”

  “These slot people are hard core,” said Jessica. “I think I’m going to try my hand at Twenty-One. Better odds.”

  “Me too.” Anise looped her arm around Jessica’s. “It’s less complicated. I just have to remember how to count to twenty-one. Some of these slots look way too advanced. I don’t want to lose too much money at once.”

  “See you two later.” Jessica waved.

  Anise blew Dana a kiss. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  As the others walked away, Jessica gave her tummy an absentminded stroke. Dana had seen many expectant women do the same thing. The quiet secrecy of the moment, the strengthening of the bond between a pregnant woman and her unborn baby, threw her for yet another emotional loop.

  She touched her own belly. It looked the same as any other woman’s, and yet it would never operate the same way. It would never shelter another life.

  Right now, all it housed was a roiling mess of acid.

  “Hey, you okay?” asked Bea. “You look stunned.”

  “It’s the lights here. They hurt my eyes.”

  “Regretting those slushies, are we? Come on. The slots await.”

  Dana and Bea found a couple of slot machines next to each other in an alcove that was somewhat removed from the main part of the casino floor. Muted lights made the place appear cozy. It was relatively dark, just as every other casino was, with not a single window. Although the gaming devices were bright and sometimes kitschy with their depicti
ons of mermaids, Greek gods, and roaring animals, the casino itself was more sophisticated than any other she’d seen. The walls were ornamented with a scrolling silver wave design that traveled throughout the entire room. Backlit with soft purple lights, each piece of artwork gleamed. Plush violet chairs invited one to sit for long periods of time. Echoing the Greek goddess statues that graced the lobby, another set of goddesses stood at intervals throughout the casino.

  “Help me out here.” As Dana considered the panel of buttons and images of fruit on her slot machine, an imaginary gong sounded in her head. “This thing has a more controls than the dashboard of my car. What am I supposed to press?”

  Although she’d lived in Nevada all her life, she’d never been tempted to play any casino games. She’d heard too many stories of tourists bankrupting themselves and didn’t care to follow their examples.

  “I’ll show you. You’ll get the hang of it in no time.” Bea’s cellphone rang and she excused herself so she could answer it. “Sasha! Hey, baby. How are you? I miss you. Yeah, I have a minute. I always have time for you.” She motioned to Dana that she needed to take the call and walked out of the alcove and around the corner.

  “There goes my tutor.” Dana looked around. In the same alcove, sat a cute little old lady, playing on a device a few feet away. She approached her. “Excuse me, ma’am. You wouldn’t happen to know how the slot machine across the way works, would you? I’m hopeless with these things.”

  The cute little old lady looked over her shoulder and scowled like a demon. “Don’t interrupt me! I’m on a roll.”

  “Okay, then. Pardon me.” Chastised, Dana returned to her machine. “Sorry I asked.”

  She put a few coins in the machine and pressed a couple of buttons but nothing happened. Maybe that was how casinos made so much money. She wondered how many of the people on the floor actually knew what they were doing and how many were simply hitting various buttons in the hopes they were the right ones.

  There was a panel with some instructions on the front of the machine but the font was so small it made her head dizzy reading it. She decided to take her chances and press a few more buttons.

  By the time she’d lost twenty dollars, she was annoyed. Rather than waste any more of her hard-earned cash, she abandoned her machine. She texted Bea and let her know she was going for a short walk and then did her best to find one of the casino exits. It wasn’t easy because the place meandered, discouraging gamblers from leaving.