“I’m here, bab…by jush help me get these cloth…es off.t so we can take care of bish…ness.”
Grabbing the edge of the bedspread Victoria tossed the cover over his body. “Go to sleep, asshole.” She gave him one last look of disgust before turning to leave the room.
“Schere yous go…ink an…gel?”
“To get drunk.” She walked from the room slamming the door.
*
From his vantage point on the couch, Sam watched as Victoria slammed the bedroom door and walked to the desk. He was still shocked at Jason’s harsh treatment of her. Get down to business, fuck what kind of bullshit line was that? He listened as she called the front desk and ordered Manny to have the bar send up two bottles of vodka and a pitcher of cranberry juice.
Waiting for her to finish her call, he felt powerless to help. “Is he sleeping?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care.”
Standing to fold her in his arms, Sam did his best to provide comfort. Knowing she was as faithful to Jason as he had been to her, Sam wanted to turn back the clock. If only he had driven to the airport to pick Jason up this would never have happened. Knowing he could not change the events of the last few minutes, he simply offered what comfort he could. “Tomorrow is a new day Tori, let him sleep it off. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
Pushing out of his arms, he felt her shudder. “Does he do this often?”
“Do what?”
“Drink himself into a stupor.”
“Victoria my sweet, this is the first time since our college days I’ve seen Jason this drunk. He holds his liquor well. I cannot for the life of me figure out why he would choose this moment to overindulge.”
“Perhaps because he’s an idiot.”
“Yes, at the moment I would agree with you.”
“Nine hours to fly from Vegas to get here and he downs an entire bottle of vodka in less than twenty minutes. What was he thinking?”
Sam was spared the need to respond, as his attention was diverted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. He walked over, opened the door, and moved aside as the bar trolley rolled into the room. Neatly arranged on the tray were three crystal highball glasses, a silver ice bucket, two bottles of Belvedere Vodka, and a diamond cut decanter of cranberry juice. Handing the bellhop a twenty, Sam waited for him to exit the room, then poured two very tall, very strong drinks.
Holding the glasses in his hand, he motioned with his head for Victoria to sit on the couch. Once she sat down, he handed her one of the glasses and sat in one of two chairs opposite her. He watched in fascination as she lifted the glass to her lips and drank half the contents without stopping. “If you keep downing them so fast, I will have two drunks on my hands.”
She looked at him, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Sam, darling, you have three choices. Either call the airport, get the pilot out of bed and have him fly me home, find me something heavy to beat Jason with until he sobers up, or keep the alcohol flowing until I pass out then tuck me into bed. Take your pick.”
Lifting his glass in acquiescence, he too downed a considerable amount of alcohol in one swallow. “To getting drunk,” he toasted.
Chapter 12
The large plant growing next to the sofa on which he sat shielded him. The sway of her hips as the stiletto heels on her feet struck the marble floor was very provocative. Watching as she moved further away, he hesitated to let her leave his line of sight, yet he lacked a reason to call out to her. About to throw caution to the wind, he started to speak when he noticed Pierre entering from the opposite side of the room. As he came into sight, Gregory heard him greet Sophia, “Good morning, mon petite.”
“Good morning Pierre, you look chipper this morning.”
“It’s going to be a beautiful day, I can feel it!”
Laughing softly, Sophia leaned into his body and brushed her lips against his. “I look forward to sharing it with you, then.”
Allowing her body to rest against his, Pierre returned the quick kiss, placing his arms around her waist. “I have no time for sex this morning, so much to do, so little time.”
“You assume much sir; I have no desire to bed you now.”
Pierre’s laughter bounced off the vaulted ceilings of the lobby. “I have been replaced by a young French stud!”
“Non beau, you are irreplaceable. ‘Tis just I hunger for his body on mine.”
“Have you told him of this desire?”
“Enfer, are you crazy, he is Jason’s son.”
Gregory gave a moment’s thought to letting them know he was there, however decided against revealing his presence. The conversation was too interesting and he wanted to hear what Pierre might say about his status here at the club.
“You would allow the fact he is Jason’s son to stand in the way of desire, mon petite? This does not sound like the Sophia I know and love.”
“Do not tease, Pierre.”
“I am not teasing pet, if Gregory Parker is what you want, then you should make it known. He is a man; I don’t think he would let his father interfere even if Jason chose to.”
“So you believe I should make the first move?”
Looking in Gregory’s direction Pierre replied, “I do not think it will be necessary.” Nodding his head in the direction of the sofa, he called Sophia’s attention to Greg’s presence.
“Oh!” Sophia cried. “How dare you monsieur? To spy on our private conversation is unforgivable.”
Gregory stood to rush over and calm Sophia. He was too late, as she turned and quickly walked through the door to the security room. If any lingering doubt of her anger remained, it was promptly squelched by the sound of the lock slamming home.
“You should be careful how you proceed, Greg.”
“You think?”
“Oui, I believe she is rather upset at the moment, best to retreat and give her time to cool down before explaining why you were spying.”
“I was not spying!” Gregory was now getting angry. “I was simply sitting on the sofa, enjoying my morning. It is not my fault you two chose to have a conversation in the lobby about your sexual desires.”
A roar of laughter greeted this statement. “You, my fine young friend, have much to learn, but I have no time this morning to teach you. Let us just agree to withdraw for now to allow the beautiful Sophia time to get over her anger. Trust me, ‘tis the best course of action.”
Gregory turned with Pierre and started to walk back in the direction of the bar. “She did say she hungers for my body on hers. This is a good thing, no?”
“Oui, it’s a good thing.”
Feeling very happy with the response, Gregory followed Pierre into the bar. He was looking forward to tonight’s annual masquerade ball. If everything went as planned, he would be making love to the beautiful Sophia before the evening was over. Pierre explained at great length about the traditions of this ball. Told him most of the club’s membership would likely attend. He also told him this was the first time in sixteen years Victoria would not be here to greet the arriving guests.
*
The delivery trucks arrived at the back entrance to the estate, where the loading dock was located. Tony was directing the crew, yelling over the sound of running diesel engines, “Need an extra set of hands?”
Tony turned at the sound of Pierre’s booming voice, “Sure I’ll take all the help I can get. We have another truck waiting to unload.” Tony watched as Gregory put on a pair of works gloves and joined the crew. Taking a break, he joined Pierre to discuss exactly what Gregory was to do. “Is he going to work here now?”
“I thought it best to keep him busy until his father returns.”
“I still cannot believe Jason has a son he doesn’t even know about.”
“Oui, ‘tis a surprise.”
“Are you going to call and let them know what is going on here?”
“I have no plans to contact Jase or Tori until next week. Hopefully, they will return befor
e then and save me from calling them home.”
“Hell old man, do you enjoy this kind of excitement.”
“No. I wish life to be simpler, however as this is not in my control, I will simply enjoy what comes my way.”
The sound of breaking glass forestalled Tony’s response. He turned to watch as the wine from a dropped case, flowed over the pavement of the loading platform. “Slow down!” He yelled to the man standing in the back of a truck tossing cases of very expensive wine into the outstretched arms of his crew. Moving quickly he made his way through the broken glass to reinforce his command, hopping into the back of the truck and placing his hand on the box to prevent it from being tossed. “This is not plastic bottles of water damn it, this wine is expensive. You cannot toss it like a sack of potatoes.”
Pierre watched as Tony took control of the unloading. Things appeared to be going smoothly. Gregory stepped in to help and Pierre felt comfortable enough to return to his office.
* * * *
Her body responded to his touch as his fingers traced over her breast. He could smell her perfume on the pillows and sheets, filtering into his senses. He inhaled deeply. Trying to hold her body closer, he strained to keep her beside him. “Do not go.” He reached for her hand as she moved off the bed. “No come back,” he yelled, as he watched her naked body run through the open doorway, her laughter dancing on the air around him, as he lunged to a sitting position.
Coming awake with a jolt, he tried to regain the dream. Looking around the darkened room, he reached deep inside to recall where he was. The last thing he remembered was getting into the limousine at the airport and opening a bottle of vodka. Dropping his head in his hands, he winced as painful darts shot through his brain.
Holding his body still, he willed the pain to go away. Breathing deeply, he gained control of his mind enough to concentrate on yesterday’s events. At least he thought it was yesterday. “Damn, what day is it?” Reaching for the bedside lamp, he hit the switch to bathe the room in a soft glow, instantly regretting the move, as his eyes recoiled from the light. Trying to drive away the pain shooting through his head, he looked around, realizing he must have made it to the hotel, because this was obviously a bedroom suite.
“Concentrate damn it.” Trying hard, he remembered drinking a toast to Victoria and their reunion. A vague memory of arriving at the hotel and needing help to the lobby surfaced. Through the fog of a hangover, he recalled Sam helping him to the room…oh god, he remembered the look of disappointment and anger on Victoria’s face.
“What did I say?” He strained to pull events into focus, yet they flew off somewhere, floating just out of reach, preventing him from putting it together. Throwing the bedspread off his body, he felt his stomach churning, threatening to spill the contents of his gut onto the bed. He realized he was still fully dressed, his shoes were missing, but his clothes, while a wrinkled mess, were still on his body. Moving to stand, the dizziness swept over him as he collapsed back onto the bed. Any fast movement sent the darts whipping over his face and neck.
“Fuck!” Throwing caution to the wind, he yelled. “SAM!” His head pounded and his eyes screamed in pain. “Damn it Sam, I need you.” Every word he spoke caused the hammer in his head to slam hard. “SAM!”
“You rang?” Jason looked at the doorway to see Sam standing there, a smile splitting his lips. “I would think yelling at the top of your lungs would hurt like hell.”
“It does, you ass. Help me get off this fucking bed.”
Sam walked over, extending his hand, pulling hard he lifted him to his feet and waited for him to crash to the floor. “You’re still drunk.”
“I am not drunk and I have the fucking hangover to prove it.” Jason was having difficulty standing. If he did not get to the bathroom soon the maid would be one very unhappy lady.
“Well, you’re not very steady on your feet at the moment. You sure you’re not still drunk.”
“I’m sure, goddam it, now help me to the bathroom so I can take a shower, will you please.”
“Sure, although I think it’s the toilet bowl you’re aiming for.”
His head pounding out of control, Jason growled, “Go ahead and laugh, fuckhead, just get me to the doorway.”
“Right, a shower, just what you need at four am while drunk, should help the situation completely.”
With Sam’s help, Jason made it to the bathroom door and leaned against the jamb. “I’ve got it from here, go order several pots of coffee. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“Sure, whatever you say.”
As he watched Sam walk to the bedroom door Jason spoke, “Sam, where is she?”
“Tori went back to her room a few hours ago.”
“Is she OK?”
“When I tucked her into bed, she was feeling no pain.”
“Why?”
“After your delightful drunken show and warding off your sloppy advances, she tossed your shoes on the floor than proceeded to drink a bottle of vodka; took her a little longer to get drunk though, I think about an hour.”
“Bloody hell, go order the coffee, I’ll join you in a few minutes.” Jason, his stomach demanding release, turned into the bathroom, closing the door.
*
Sitting on the couch waiting for either Victoria or Jason to emerge from his bedroom was turning out to be the highlight of his vacation. The coffee service had arrived over five minutes ago, he had just decided to check and make sure Jason was still conscious, when he walked into the room. “You look better.”
“Wish I felt better, damn my body hurts in places I didn’t even know existed.”
“Don’t look for sympathy from me, dumbass. Whatever possessed you to drink an entire bottle of Absolut in twenty minutes?”
“You have to ask?”
“Christ, Jason, she was here, waiting for you; ready to apologize for running away, ready to return to Vegas and give this relationship a chance. And you, idiot that you are, stumble into the room and treat her like a twenty-dollar hooker.”
“You’re exaggerating, Sam!”
“Oh really! I believe your exact words were ‘I’m here baby, just help me get these clothes off and we can take care of business.’ Not your best line Jase and delivered with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop.”
“She has to know I did not mean it the way it sounded.”
“I wouldn’t be too confident, Jase. She was pretty angry after she tucked your ass into bed.”
“At least she tucked me in.” Jason smiled for the first time since waking up.
“Sure, then she came in here looking for something heavy enough to cause serious damage to your body and threatened to beat you senseless while you slept.”
“Come off it Sam, she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. I believe she is madder than a wet hen, but she did not threaten to beat me in my sleep.”
“Believe what you must. I am not the one who was drunk, at least not when she left your bedside, called down to order not one, but two bottles of vodka. It was my smooth tongue which prevented her from ordering Mark out of his bed to fly her back to Vegas, leaving your drunken ass here.”
“She actually thought about leaving again. Damn!”
“Do you blame her Jase?”
“Hell yes I blame her. You know what the last four months have been like, while all the time she is sitting on a goddam beach working on her fucking tan.”
Sam pushed himself off the couch and walked to the patio door leading onto the balcony. “You’re either a fool or still drunk Jase if you believe anything you’ve said in the last ten minutes. Let me know when you’re done acting like a total ass, so we can figure out what to do next.” This parting shot was delivered as he stepped onto the balcony and closed the door.
Chapter 13
Once a year, Club Belle Tori hosted the party of all parties. The annual masquerade ball took months of planning to execute. The staff spent weeks locating and ordering delicacies from all over the world.
No expense spared in throwing the biggest party in all of Vegas.
The limousines started arriving at seven sharp, vehicles continued to stream up the driveway, an unbroken chain of black, for two hours. Gregory watched from the foyer, as hundreds of costumed people stepped from cars to approach the massive entrance doors. Every imaginable character from history represented, the guests wearing masks to cover their faces.
The staff worked all day, decorating the bar, stocking shelves, and replacing hundreds of flowers with peacock feathers. The kitchen staff had worked twenty-four hours a day for two days preparing tonight’s buffet. Crisp linens covered each of the tables in shades matching one of the rainbows of colors found in the feathers.
The tempting dishes were carefully displayed in a pleasing fashion on the patio leading to the gardens.
Sophia was dressed as a hooker from the old west, a dark purple bustier laced up the front, barely concealing her nipples. A long black skirt, one side tucked into the belt at her waist allowed her stockings and garters to show very nicely. She had piled her hair atop her head and driven a rhinestone comb in place to hold it. Gregory could not keep his eyes off her.
As guests gave their names, Sophia checked them off her list and introduced them to Greg before one of the footmen escorted them to the door leading into the club. There the herald, dressed in skin-tight black leggings, a red tunic, trimmed in gold cord, pounded his staff on the floor three times to gain the attention of the assembled crowd, presented them to the room at large.
It took almost two and a half hours to announce all the guests. Greg knew it was unlikely he would ever match a person with the names he had heard, since their masks prevented him for seeing the faces. The next time he saw them it would be without the costume. A name did him no good.
It was a little after nine when Sophia told him the last of the guests were in residence and they could close the door and set the security system.
“Why set the security system?”
“Because the club is now closed.”
“Everyone is staying the night?”
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