by Claire Adams
“This is yours?” she asked in awe as she took a seat. “There’s no way.”
“It is,” I said. “I don’t get to use it as often as I’d like, though.”
“I need to know, what exactly do you invest in?”
I frowned. I had so many answers planned for this question, but I was tired of lying to her face. Still, I had to be smart about this confession.
“Honestly? I own a chain of restaurants,” I said. She tilted her head as her jaw dropped.
“What?”
“Have you heard of All You Can Eat?” I asked.
She hesitated a moment. “Of course.”
“It’s mine. I own the chain, and I have money invested in other brands that fall under the All You Can Eat name.”
“You’re a restauranteur?” she asked. Her voice was laced with pure disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been cooking for you this entire time like you had no idea what the difference between duck and goose was.”
“Would it have made such a difference?” I asked. She blinked.
“Well, yeah.”
“That’s why.” I nodded. “I hate the limelight, and all the attention and feedback it draws, so I try to fly under the radar. I wanted you to just be yourself, while still cooking the best you have to offer.”
“So these meetings?” she asked.
“They’re to discuss new opportunities in the business, and I need to unveil a new dish. I don’t like to change the menu often, but it’s been a while since we added anything, and we need the numbers.”
“You need a new dish,” she repeated. “For your restaurants.” She laughed as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“I’ve been thinking, and I can’t stop thinking about that ginger sea bass we made.” I met her stare directly. Everly raised both eyebrows.
“It’s cheap,” she suggested. “Probably less than a dollar a plate, if you were to buy enough of it. And the cucumber relish is a great flavor combination for fish.”
“It’s a great dish,” I said. “I’m going to pitch it at the meetings and see what everyone else has to say.”
Everly pressed her palm against her cheeks.
“One of my dishes served at All You Can Eat?” She breathed. “I can’t believe it.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” I said. The plane’s engine roared to life, and we both leaned into our seats as we took off. “I’ll try my best.”
“I’ve seen what you can do, Maddox,” Everly said as the plane settled into the air. “We both know you get what you want.”
I bit my lip and watched as she stared out the window of the plane.
“I do,” I murmured. “I really do.”
Vegas was bright despite it being late morning. Everly’s eyes were as wide as saucers as we took an unmarked car from the airport to the hotel. It was a tall, shiny skyscraper with metallic walls and gold lettering that promised a good weekend to everyone visiting.
“You should see it at night,” I said as she marveled at the giant statues and fluorescent lights. “It’s like a completely different world.”
“I believe it.” She wore a stunning business suit, a tight skirt and even tighter blouse, and her red hair was in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. There was something about seeing her in the middle of such a busy city that made her irresistible. Or maybe it was being forced to stare at her for several hours in a small jet that was making my desire heighten.
We were told our rooms wouldn’t be ready for several hours and were given tickets to the next showing of “The Beatles” as an apology.
“Do you want to see it?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said. “I’ve seen a million commercials for this. Lacey is going to kill me.”
I laughed, and together we found the playhouse. The tickets were front row seats, and we arrived with barely 10 minutes to spare. We each ordered drinks, bourbon for me and a cocktail for Everly, and decided to split an entree during the show.
It started, and halfway through the musical, I felt Everly’s shoulder lean against mine. I stiffened for a moment before relaxing, and we watched the rest of the show with our shoulders touching.
“That was incredible!” she said. “God, I felt like I was on drugs the whole time.”
I chuckled. “I think that’s the point.” I checked my watch. “The room must be ready by now.”
As we walked through the casino, under a ceiling of stars and statues of gods and goddesses, Everly began to pay more attention to the various slot machines around us. The air was bitter with the smell of smoke and alcohol, but the more we drank, the better it smelled.
“Do we have time to maybe play a few slots?” she asked. “I’ve never actually touched a slot machine before.”
“Do you know how, then?” I asked. “It can get pretty complicated.”
We watched as someone else pressed buttons on a touchscreen, and won 50 dollars.
“Doesn’t seem that complicated,” she said and took my hand. “Come on, show me.”
I took a seat in front a slot and expected her to take one beside me. Instead, she sat on my lap and pressed her back against my chest. I sucked in a breath, praying that she couldn’t feel the reaction stiffening in my pants.
“So, what now?” she asked. I slipped my wallet out and inserted a 100 dollar bill.
“Now, we lose all our money,” I said and showed her what to do.
An hour and a half later, she had won 200 dollars and was feeling the exhilaration from it.
“That wasn’t too bad,” she said. Her words slurred from several more cocktails and my head was beginning to spin from too much bourbon. “Oh, you know what else I’ve always wanted to do?” She stumbled against me as if I were a wall to lean on.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Poker.” She took my hand again and led me toward the poker tables. “I’ll watch you first.”
I chuckled, took a seat, and placed my bet. Everly was as quiet as a statue behind me, but I was well aware of her presence. We enjoyed several more drinks, and after losing the 200 dollars on a single round of poker, found ourselves at the buffet.
“Is it everything you’ve imagined?” I asked as she sat at the table with three plates full of mixed cultures.
“And more,” she said, and dug in. I loved to watch her eat, and I considered how strange it was to find the way she chewed a turn on.
“There’s always a bunch of street shows at night,” I said. “We should check them out before calling it a day.”
“I’d like that.” She smiled and rested her palm against my chest and then dropped her hand into mine.
It was late by the time we managed to check into our rooms.
“Your luggage was delivered to 6165.” The hostess said. I checked our room keys; 6165 was my room.
“I’ll just pick mine up from your room and then get ready to go out in mine,” she said, and we left to search for our rooms. Thankfully, they ended up directly across from one another. I opened the door and welcomed her inside.
She gasped and bolted straight toward the window, where we had a view of the entire Vegas Strip in all its lighted glory beneath our fingertips. The room itself had a living room with two couches and an entertainment center, a kitchen complete with a full bar, a luxury restroom, and a king-sized bed in a separate bedroom with an extra restroom. I sat both of my suitcases on the bed.
“It’s bigger than my apartment,” she said as we both toured it. “More expensive, probably.”
“I wouldn’t know,” I said truthfully. “I don’t see the bill.” She laughed, but it was hard to tell if she thought that was funny or sad.
“Four bottles of wine,” Everly said as she made her way toward the bar. I poured two glasses, and she emptied hers quickly. “The Hangover” makes so much more sense to me now.”
I pulled her suitcase toward the door as she refilled her glass.
“I’m just going to use the restroom first, if that�
�s okay?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Take your time,” I said. She disappeared into the bedroom and presumably the second restroom. I poured an ounce of bourbon into a glass and enjoyed the view of Vegas. The lights were a bright blend of yellow, purple, blue, and red, and I watched jets of water shoot up from a fountain and create a water show. Down the street from that was a volcano that spat out fire, and even further from that was a pirate ship that was slowly moving from one end of the casino to the other.
“I’m done,” Everly said as she opened the door. I turned and finished my bourbon.
“Do you want to watch any of the street shows?” I asked, but as she exited the bedroom, the words died on my lips.
Everly stood in the doorway almost naked, save for one of my ties strapped around her neck and in between her breasts. One hip was resting against the door, the other playing with her smooth stomach and trailing circles on her skin.
“I think I’d rather stay in tonight,” she said and crossed the room. Her lips pressed hard against mine, and her fingers began to unbutton my shirt.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Everly
His glass of bourbon spilled onto the floor as I kissed him. I pulled away and tried cleaning it, but he shook his head and held my waist close to his.
“Don’t,” he said. I unbuttoned the rest of the shirt and slipped it off of his strong arms. His hands slid up and down my naked body, pressing hard against my skin as our lips played with one another.
“It’ll stain,” I said and bit his bottom lip. He gasped and flipped me around roughly, my back pressed against his.
“Good.” He growled in my ear and kissed my neck. I couldn’t contain my breathing; it was rough and shallow as he slipped a hand in between my thighs. His other hand cupped my breasts and massaged them, twisting the nipples until I was squirming in his arms.
He pushed me until we were in the bedroom, and he shoved his suitcases onto the floor. Clothes spilled out, fancy and expensive suits. I reached toward them, but he grabbed the tie that hung in between my breasts and forced me onto the bed.
“The only thing I’ve wanted all day was to taste you,” he said. I was leaning on my elbows staring down as he crawled toward my body. “You have no idea how badly I wanted that.”
“That’s the only thing you wanted?” I teased. His hand pushed against my chest until I was lying down, his head in between my thighs.
“You, naked, sprawled on my bed, is the only thing I can think of.” He trailed his hot mouth down my thigh, planting tiny kisses as he went, and then his mouth neared the juncture of my parted thighs, and his tongue darted out, flattening against me. I gasped and dug my fingers into the bed. He tasted me like he had been dying of thirst, sucking and licking and flicking his tongue on my most sensitive parts. I cried loudly, the euphoria washing over me in waves of pleasure. He didn’t slow down, in fact, he seemed as if he was only gaining speed.
But the moment my hips started to thrash and I was close to my release, he stopped abruptly and stood from the bed.
“Turn around,” he ordered. I hesitated for a split second, and Maddox growled. He slipped his hand around beneath my waist and forcefully turned me onto my stomach. “That’s better.”
The more he commanded and took charge, the wetter I became. His hand cupped my sex, and it seemed even he could tell just how much he was affecting me. He pulled my hips toward him while keeping my head pressed low against the bed.
“Tell me, were you fantasizing about this as well?” he asked, a low guttural sound in my ear.
“Every single night,” I said. “I thought about being in bed with you every single night.”
“Before we first made love?”
“Yes,” I whispered. I felt his thick rod press against my ass. He was hard and thick, and I began squirming just thinking about him inside of me.
“This is what you want, right?” he asked. I nodded, and a swift hand slapped my ass and squeezed it. He took control, squeezing my hips as he plunged deep inside of me. He didn’t take his time. He wasn’t slow, comforting, loving this time. His rhythmic motions were fast and hard. I pushed my head into the bed and cried as wave after wave of pleasure hit my body. This wasn’t making love; this was a raw, deep need that Maddox was exploring with me.
We both needed to feel powerful, in control, and as he found his power, I found my release again and again, in a neverending cycle of pleasure.
His strong arms flexed as he twisted my body toward him, and picked me up from beneath my thighs. I straddled him, grinding my sex against his, and he pushed my body against the wall as he entered me again. He carried me to the entertainment room, where he shoved the bottles of wine and bourbon off of the front bar and sat me on it, all the while still inside of me.
He moved us to every spot in the hotel, making sure that nothing was left out, until we ended at the window overlooking the neon signs of Las Vegas. He held me tightly and moaned loud in my ear, and I felt his stiff member twitch inside of me. My head turned to the side, my gaze spreading over streets full of tourists and street shows, as Maddox released his energy and passion into me. His hips buckled, pressing me even more against the glass, and his hands clenched tightly; one on my neck, the other on my ass.
He finished, but he didn’t let me go. I panted hard against his chest as we took a moment to stare at the beautiful scene just outside our room. His lips nibbled on my earlobe almost absentmindedly, until he finally sat me down.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes full of concern. I laughed; I couldn’t help it. We were still covered in sweat and our juices, there was a bruise forming on my ass, and I probably was going to have wet dreams of Maddox grabbing my hips and pushing himself inside of me with such force, and yet he was concerned about my well-being?
“I’m perfect,” I said. “Maybe a little sore.”
He chuckled, and we cleaned ourselves up. He poured us a glass of wine from one of the few bottles that remained, and we stood in front of the window watching the street shows.
“We can go see them tomorrow night, if you’d like?” Maddox suggested. “Unless you’re curious to see how my socks would look on your naked body?”
I laughed. “Maybe I’ll save that for breakfast.”
He seemed to find trouble with his next words. “Would you like to stay the night in my room?”
“Are you sure?” I looked at him searching his eyes for uncertainty. “You’re paying for it, and I wouldn’t want it to be wasted.” He smirked and gave me a condescending look. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t get the bill. Then sure, I’d like that.”
We got ready for bed together, and I ended up in his arms. My head rested on his chest, his arms tight around me as if we were made to fit, a perfect match.
“You know what?” I said, my voice hoarse and low from exhaustion.
“What?” The vibration of his voice melted into my back with his warm breath.
“I’m happy I found you,” I said. In the morning, I would blame the confession on all the wine and endorphins.
Maddox tightened his hold on me. “And I’m happy I won that bid,” he said. I laughed.
I thought of how nervous I was for the auction, how I thought I’d end up with some nasty old man who would try to take advantage. This was much different considering I was lying next to the winning bidder now. “Was it worth the 20,000?” I asked.
“Every cent and then some,” he said. I listened to his soft breathing and the sounds of the city around us as he drifted to sleep, and I joined him shortly after, content in his arms and never wanting it to end.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Maddox
I was still waiting patiently in a stiff chair nearly 30 minutes past the scheduled end for the last meeting of the day. We had gone over the numbers and figures of my chain of restaurants, and I had just introduced the new dish that would be served in all the restaurants in just a few months’ time. They seemed to enjoy the idea, and more so,
loved how cheap it would be.
I checked my watch for the millionth time. Everly was waiting at the room to be picked up for dinner, and I had sent her a quick text 20 minutes ago apologizing for the delay. I wasn’t worried that she would angry, but I was sure there was at least a million other things she’d rather be doing than waiting in a hotel room.
The meeting finally ended, and I shook hands with several of my investors.
“Congratulations,” they took turns saying. “The new dish is going to be a hit.”
I smiled politely and told each of them that a fantastic chef gave me the idea, and that all the congrats should go toward her.
The meeting was set in a part of the hotel on the other side of the casino, at least a 15-minute walk. I made sure my pace was quick and hurried past the casino floor with hundreds of slot machines and bars tucked away in the corners. Beautiful women dressed in very minimal clothing attempted to greet me, but I politely waved them off and focused my thoughts. Everly and I had enjoyed the morning in bed together. I had run my fingers down her naked body for what felt like hours, admiring her soft skin and sharp curves, and she had enjoyed teasing me until I reached my limit and took her from behind as she tried brushing her teeth.
The morning was perfect, sensual, and I couldn’t imagine spending another morning without her at this point.
I reached the room 45 minutes later than planned.
“There you are,” Everly said, as she lounged on the chair. She didn’t look upset, merely bored.
“These meetings never go as planned,” I said. “I’m sorry I made you wait.”
“It’s okay.” She turned off the television. “The local news here is just as entertaining as a murder flick.”
I laughed. “That’s awful.”
She was dressed in a tight black dress that hugged her thighs and knees and plunged deep down her chest, with her red hair tied up in a messy bun with loose strands framing her face. I was already wearing a formal business suit in tones of gray and black, and together we looked as if we owned the casino itself.