Blaine, Destiny - Lying Eyes (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lying Eyes

  He grunted. Ah yeah, she caught it. He obviously didn’t agree with her. Then again, according to what she’d read, he primarily played tournaments with the exception of a rare showing at The Bellagio.

  “I can think of at least one fire I wouldn’t run away from, even on a dare.”

  Now, she couldn’t breathe or think of a comeback.

  They rode up to the ninth floor and she noticed how his hazy midnight blues never left her unattended. A simple fact she seemed unable to ignore since he also tried to see through her clothing. The contentment of a fixated gape gave it away. He apparently didn’t have the first inclination to look elsewhere and seemed quite interested in critical anatomical points.

  By the time the doors opened to announce the arrival at their appropriate floor, Audra felt warranted relief and the unease she felt between The Rio’s seventh and ninth floors subsided. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Her polite way of suggestive dismissal proved short lived.

  He smirked. “Yeah, I’ll watch for you and I might add, it will always be my pleasure.”

  Turning to the left, she headed to her suite. He trailed only at a slight distance. Watching her every move, something she seemed quite sure of, he remained right behind her. It didn’t surprise her. Poker players liked to sum up their opponents. Men liked to watch her ass. Max Reynolds enjoyed a prime opportunity to do both.

  Room 9105. Her haven since she arrived at the tournament a few days before the Main Event. She stopped abruptly in front of the door and stared straight ahead. “Great. Why am I not shocked?” With her key in hand, she looked to the left.

  “9107, that’s me.” His announcement proved unnecessary. He slapped the key in his hand a few times and then hurriedly unlocked the door. The concept alone provided just enough affirmation. He was indeed the registered guest in 9107. His mouth turned up in a well satisfied grin.

  A sigh slipped from her lips. Her whole body turned to face off with him. “Let me guess, you requested a move?”

  His facial expression suggested more—not only did he ask for one, but the satisfaction he felt when he gained it couldn’t be weighed in cash or casino markers. “I believe in keeping my friends close.”

  He stepped inside his suite and the luggage she spotted made it all too real. Without a doubt, he was in the right place.

  Garment bags were nudged with his foot before he looked up to meet her thoughtful gaze. “Yep, it’s safe to say we’re going to be neighbors for the duration of the tournament.”

  Forcing a smile, she practically bit out her clever response. “Now whose length of stay are we talking about here, yours or mine? After today, I’m looking forward to an extended visit and I have a feeling you’re only passing through.” She teased him and counted on his full participation.

  Max held his door with the toe of his shoe but moved slightly out of the hotel room. He took his time with a perusal of flesh and the material covering the rest. He examined her closely from head to torso and back again. She couldn’t blame him. She deliberately put him in his place. She didn’t expect him to stay there. He feels the need for a comeback. She reminded herself of the obvious. He can’t help it. It’s in him.

  “Audra, I didn’t get to where I am today chasing the dream of getting lucky. I win because I understand my game and learn everything there is to know about the players playing it. If you’re going to play with the big boys now honey, give Lady Luck the week off and learn how to stake your claim with the best of us. Otherwise, your time at the top will be short-lived.” His eyes challenged her. He played the man card once again. The one many on the circuit loved to throw when they felt threatened by a woman.

  “You’re forgetting something.” She scoffed to think he might have disrespected her current position but after a few silent seconds, she decided to go for it even if it later jinxed her. “I am at the very top right now.”

  “Yeah, and that sucks for you, because staying there won’t be without significant problems. Sweetheart, when you fall from number one, it hurts like hell.” Amusement danced across his face.

  “I imagine no one knows how that feels any better than you.” She quickly tried to make her escape by sliding the plastic through the opening there to claim it.

  He’d gotten to her. Damn him. Now, to beat it all, her key didn’t work. She pushed the little plastic card in the indicated slot once more and lined the arrows up but nothing happened.

  “Maybe I’m the one who has the wrong room.” She tried to make light of the situation and glanced up at the brass room numbers.

  “I don’t think so. Allow me.” He reached for her key and she handed it to him.

  It would’ve been easy enough for him to just take the keycard from her hand, effortless and unobtrusive, but Max didn’t like to keep things simple. He lived to complicate things and the more challenging the opportunity, the better he seemed to enjoy it. Audra figured him out from the moment she joined him on the casino floor. The Amazon Room buzzed with vibrant gaming dynamics, but the pulse of the tournament revolved around men like Max. Being alone with him in front of their rooms didn’t change things, or did it?

  All five fingers touched her hand when he slid the flat cool texture from her palm into his. He scraped it from her grip with a slow caress. The touch of skin triggered a chain reaction throughout her body while imaginary fireworks popped around her head.

  She’d spent hours, days even, thinking about him after their initial meeting. She made sure she watched his televised tournaments, every interview, and every new entertainment show focusing on gamblers and poker players. Now, he stood just centimeters from her and damn it all, his tactics left her wanting for more. Ridiculous, it was utterly ridiculous. Never mind unexplainable.

  He must’ve possessed an extraordinary talent for unlocking a hotel room because his focus didn’t abandon her and yet the door miraculously opened. “There, see?” He pushed open the weighted panel but continued to hold it back so the hinge didn’t give and close again.

  “I don’t charge for my services.” His eyes flickered with a daring and very bold suggestion, one full of meaning or none at all, if she brought it to his attention with some measure of disinterest.

  Maybe not but his smile could’ve earned him some great gratuities. She allowed herself a rare indulgence. Her gaze fell over him with a quick assessment, and she assumed it went unnoticed. Damn. Sure enough, he is fine. Yes, Max Reynolds was hell-hot, but he knew it. She liked confident men but those who were cocky to a fault didn’t appeal to her in the least and poker players terrified the hell out of her.

  “Well, maybe you should.” She finally said and resisting further temptation, her focus changed but instantly fell right back to where she left off the last slippery dare to assess the entire Reynolds packaging. She wanted to get a sense of the real value found there.

  He made a funny little noise and choked back all out accusations. “I’ve got ‘em, sweetheart, in case you’re looking.”

  “Like I said, maybe you should.” Embarrassed because she was caught in the act, she tried to cover up her illicit gawking by searching for words to replace the ones of self-betrayal. She failed miserably. When a woman’s desire-filled eyes stop to admire a man’s cock, it’s not something the average male chooses to ignore, and Max wasn’t average by any stretch of the imagination. She only wanted a quick peek, just to sort of see if the man carried around balls of iron. He could’ve let it slide.

  He didn’t.

  Then again, so what if she wanted to look from a woman’s perspective, pushing aside the poker player within just long enough to lust after a man. It never hurt to imagine real life fantasies as long as they didn’t last longer than a roulette spin. Max dished out some spicy verbal foreplay earlier and well, curiosity killed all cats—even those with cards attached to their paws.

  “Should what?” Fingers snapped in front of her face and his sudden change of expression bordered with wicked and truly seductive. He interrupted her train of thought
and he did it on purpose. He understood what wanton stares implied. He just wanted her to stroke his ego and heaven only knew what else. She didn’t want to think about it.

  Actually, she did.

  Embarrassed, she cleared her throat and arched an eyebrow. “Maybe you should start charging for your services.” Her monotone gave nothing away. “From what I hear, your skills behind closed doors trump those you use at the tables. As a matter of fact, from what I understand, you might find a lot of profit in it if you’d just charge for it.” A wink followed the suggestive statement but it was all she planned on offering.

  “Thanks for unlocking me.” She stepped inside and closed the door feeling quite satisfied. She gave him something to think about. Now, she needed a cold shower, maybe even one supplied with buckets of ice.

  Chapter Two

  Max lightly pecked on her door. He contemplated outright banging but decided he might startle her. When he didn’t get a response, he pressed his ear against the wood and thought he heard running water, which only made matters worse. His mind’s eye provided quite an imaginary visual but the throb in his cock reminded him he’d never do her justice until he saw her naked flesh for himself.

  The woman possessed a genuine gift, actually several, but one in particular bothered him. She knew what to say and how to say it and no one—at least not a woman—ever left him speechless. The ‘unlocking’ reference did the trick. If he wanted to guess, and he did just to amuse himself, she left him with carefully chosen parting words. She wanted them to linger long after she slipped into the safety of her room. Since her tight little snatch was about all he thought about now, then hell yeah, unlocking it was just part of the plan.

  It didn’t serve any grand purpose, but he didn’t resist the urge to replay the last four minutes of their time together. If there were ever any doubts of whether or not she might be interested in him, then they were quickly put to rest as soon as she focused on his cock. And the little darling didn’t just settle for the stiff and obvious.

  Hell no.

  Audra wanted to see where the seam rested against his balls. She all but shifted her weight and bent her long, slender neck to check him out and God help him, he all but spread his legs to give her the best view possible.

  “Now that was sexy.” He smiled to himself as he thought about the little vixen again and of course his fist pounded out another few seconds of earned frustration.

  She’s probably in the bath. He knocked again and listened. The only thing he heard was the steady sound of spraying water and a light whimper. The low sound intrigued him and quickly gained his undivided attention. He pressed his cheek, ear and practically every muscle in his body, up against the surface then. That’s when he heard her singing. The whimper he wanted to first entertain all but slipped away as wishful, erotic thinking.

  I have to stop this nonsense. His fist went into the door for three more serious and demanding knocks. He didn’t care about running water or shampoo in a mess of tangles, he wanted to see her and he really wanted her soaking wet when he did.

  Sexual inspiration from any daydream with Audra in it left a man forever changed. It certainly toyed with him. He was erect after his twenty-second mind trip. Damn you Audra. Naturally, his short-lived fantasy was her fault. It always was and he’d experienced a few years of placing blame. In fact, he tasted everything from wet dreams to afternoon delights and his hand had long since started to bore him.

  The woman’s face was everywhere and somehow she swiftly moved into his fantasies even when he didn’t plan on it. One way or another, Audra seemed to squeeze her way into his day, sometimes it was even worse. He wasn’t above taking a woman to bed and then closing his eyes real tight as he tried to imagine Audra. At his age he should’ve felt guilty but he damn sure didn’t right now.

  “Who is it?” He finally heard her answer. It took her long enough.

  “Who do you want it to be, sweetheart?” He almost growled out his reply. Then, he truly wanted to just bend over and kick his own ass. His carnal desires were getting the best of him. If his response didn’t prove him dangerously hungry, then the card-slinging vixen wasn’t only young but a little naïve, which would be a first given her career choice.

  She taunted him. “Oh, let me guess. Is it my new neighbor?”

  “Open the door. I have something to ask you.”

  “I just bet you do,” she fired back with playfulness weaving its way into a bewitching tone.

  “I do, open up for a minute.” The throaty request fell from his lungs more than his lips.

  Time ticked by just long enough for a quick look around his room. The Rio’s luxury suites were nice, but grander things always left him with a dark void. He had plenty of money—more than he’d ever spend. What he wanted was someone to fill the empty spaces and he’d known this for about twenty-four months now. The problem he had was the obvious—at least to him—he never formed lasting relationships so he didn’t know how to initiate one. He was more of the one-night-stand kind of man.

  “Are you there?”

  “I haven’t moved one inch,” she answered.

  “You aren’t going to open up, are you?” he questioned.

  “Not on your life,” she quickly added. “But if you’d like to come around to the hallway and knock there, I might be inclined to answer, or you could call me. I think you have my room number.”

  Max placed his palms on the door and tapped his forehead against it a couple of times. This was bizarre. He wanted to ask her out for dinner and invite her to a private poker game. If she wouldn’t let him in, it was safe to expect a declined dinner invitation and she probably wouldn’t leave the property with him.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll play it your way.” He grabbed his key and headed out the door, ready to try his luck again.

  Within seconds, he stood in the hall knocking. “This is quite ridiculous,” he mumbled to himself but he beat on the surface anyway.

  “Yes? Who is it?” Sarcasm, thank God. He loved it when it fell from her luscious lips.

  He realized she spied on him from the circular opening. He moved closer and smirked. “Are you watching me, Audra?” His words came across as racy. It served the purpose, all things considered.

  “I am.” At least she gave him straight-up honesty.

  “Okay, then look closer.” He had no idea what to do next. He wanted to put on a show and have some fun but the casino security cameras would likely catch him and he’d find himself out on his ass. Maybe simple and creative, one with one or two motives and implied purposes.

  He walked across the hall and then turned to strut back. Two hands flew to the hard texture of the door separating them. He stared inside the peephole even though he couldn’t see her. She wouldn’t miss one second of whatever he came up with to tempt her because she was interested in him, and he already believed the young woman enjoyed watching him. Before his eyes narrowed, he slowly licked his top lip back and forth, taking care to move it at a turtle’s pace. “Would you like to know what I’m thinking?”

  Audra must’ve been ready for him. “That’s interesting, Max. I bet your tongue can do heavenly things to the right woman.” Her laughter radiated through the door. He felt the singe from where he stood.

  “Food. I’m thinking dinner.” The simple gesture made him lie because a meal was far from his mind now. Sure, hunger pangs existed but cravings for something far more delicious, sweet, and tempting took first precedence. After all the word-slinging at the tables earlier, he was famished. What he wanted to do to her was downright sinful, but why not blame it on dinner with a promise of dessert.

  Audra took a minute to respond. “Good. For a minute there I was worried.”

  “Careful now, Audra. You almost sound disappointed.”

  Her voice pepped right up. “After a display of tongue swiping like that, I should run and hide. If dinner wasn’t on your mind, you’d leave me no other choice but to call security.”

  “Tease.”

/>   “You know it.” She opened the door and stood in the frame with her back leaned casually against it. That’s when another leisurely appraisal began.

  The whole evaluation burned every inch of skin covering him. He undressed many women with once-overs but he was never lucky enough to have the favor returned, until now. He kind of liked it. Well, sort of, it also made him instantly hard once his body reacted in sync with his brain. If she wanted to ogle, he didn’t have a problem with it, unless of course, she didn’t have the full aspirations of setting him on fire with a considerate touch.

  “You’re looking at me like you’re about ready to auction me off to the highest bidder.” He watched her skin blush.

  “Hmmm…” Her head turned to the left and then to the right. “No one here but me.”

  “In that case, you need to start low.” Insinuations, he had plenty of them to lead the way.

  “Ah, now Max, bids were already placed and you’ve been sold to the highest bidder. In fact, from what I understand, several times.”

  Yeah, he was starting to regret those events, beginning to see how those hours were nothing more than wasted. Audra could rub salt and lime all she wanted. He’d never tire of hearing her voice regardless of the digs or what words she used to find the best way to deliver them.

  “I just wanted to see if you have dinner plans.” His intentions were finally revealed in a more civilized manner than what his cock better justified.

  “Why?” She leaned against an arm curved behind her neck. Her hair—a tangled mess of wet locks—draped around her shoulders with natural curls framing the best of beauties.

  She smelled like warm peaches and vanilla ice cream and what he would give to lower his head just long enough to get lost in the unique flavor of Audra. He never doubted it for a moment, he would find complete pleasure. A simple kiss. It wasn’t too much to ask for considering she took him on a slow ride with verbal foreplay hours earlier. Did she taste as good as she looked? He wondered and there wasn’t any harm in thinking about it, was there? Probably, but he didn’t care.