It’s Vegas, Baby
A Vegas, Baby Novella
Fiona Davenport
Copyright © 2018 by Fiona Davenport
Cover designed by Elle Christensen
Edited by Manda Lee
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
It’s Vegas, Baby
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Books By This Author
About the Author
It’s Vegas, Baby
When Andrew Lennox spotted Autumn standing at the registration desk of his Las Vegas hotel, she was instantly his obsession. With Autumn leaving to spend a year in Africa, their time was limited. But Drew was determined to use every second convincing Autumn of what he already knew. She was his. And no matter how long she was gone or how far away, that would never change.
Chapter One
Drew
“Knox, have one of your guys check on table six. Valerie pressed her in-house silent alarm.”
Knox Dawson, my head of security and best friend, nodded and silently left the security room. There were more than fifty monitors in the room, keeping track of well over two thousand cameras. A lot of casinos would rather buy more slot machines than focus on security, but I didn’t take the same attitude. I wanted my employees and patrons to be as safe as possible. Each table had two buttons for the dealer. One alerted hotel security, mostly used to handle rowdy patrons or possible cheating. The second was directly to the police in case of a robbery.
I brought my eyes back to table six and saw that Knox had sent Paul who was now bent low and speaking to a man with a small stack of chips and a glass of what I presumed was alcohol. The man threw up his arms, knocking his drink and chips off of the table. Paul tried to speak one more time but when the man began yelling, another guard showed up and the two of them “escorted” him out of the casino.
“Whoa,” said one of the guys watching the monitors. “Check out the babe in the lobby. Day-um.”
My eyes strayed to the screen showing the check-in desk. It wasn’t hard to know who they were talking about and to my shock, lust blasted through me and a dark sense of possession followed in its wake.
I was thirty-two years old and I already owned one of the most successful hotel and casinos in Las Vegas. Building the Lennox Hotel & Casino had been my dream and I’d pursued it with single-minded focus. Women had been the last thing on my mind. As evidenced by my last few relationship, which broke up because the women felt neglected. I’d shrugged and moved on. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t warned them beforehand. Eventually, having a relationship felt like more hassle than it was worth. It had been years since I’d been with anyone, and in all that time, I hadn’t even felt the craving to find a bedmate. So, the desire currently pumping blood into my cock was a complete surprise.
She was gorgeous with dark curly hair and a curvy body. I couldn’t see her face close enough to know her eye color, but I imaged they were dark to go with her hair and olive-toned skin. She was standing in the check-in line, her hand resting on the handle of a small carry-on suitcase. Hmmm, she wasn’t intending to stay long, but the fact that it wasn’t a simple overnight bag told me that I wasn’t in a complete rush.
“I don’t swing that way and even I would consider tapping that,” drawled Karyn, one of the few females on my security team. Chuckles echoed around the room.
“She’s off limits,” I snarled, my tone so harsh it drew every eye to me. “No one touches her, no one even goes near her unless it’s to protect her.” My face hardened and my tone became steely, letting them know I wasn’t fucking around. “Is that clear?”
Eyes wide and mouths slack, every one of them nodded without comment. I could only imagine what they were thinking. Normally, I’m very easy-going and known for my rational thinking and patience. Unless you fucked with me, my friends and family, my business, or my employees. Yeah, I had another reputation in Vegas, one that ensured that people most certainly knew not to piss me off.
With one last glare of warning, I left the security room and strode purposefully towards my office. Once I was inside, with door firmly shut, I dropped into my desk chair and pulled up multiple feeds for the lobby camera on the wall of television screens. I picked up the phone and punched the code in for the check-in desk.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Lennox?” a perky voice inquired.
“The woman in line, the one in the green dress, with the dark curly hair.”
“Yes, sir?”
“When she gets to the counter, text me her name. And, tell her we lost her reservation and for the inconvenience, we’ll upgrade her room.”
“Um, okay,” the desk attendant mumbled. “What room do you want me to put her in? We’re booked solid, Mr. Lennox.”
I answered without hesitation. “The Silver Suite.”
This time, the employee sputtered but quickly got herself together and chirped, “Yes, sir.”
“Also, give her a one-thousand-dollar credit for the casino.”
“Of course. Will that be all, Mr. Lennox?”
“Text me her name,” I reminded her and hung up.
I watched and waited for her turn at the counter, and when she finally stepped up to it, I switched my focus to my cell phone. It only took a minute before it pinged with the alert of a text message.
Autumn Rhodes.
Even her name was fucking sexy. This time when I picked up my desk phone, I dialed Knox.
“Dawson.”
“I need a dossier put together,” I informed him without preamble.
“What’s his name?”
“Her,” I corrected.
“Her?” he echoed, his tone colored with curiosity. “Card counter?” he guessed.
“No, just a guest at the hotel.” I didn’t give any more of an explanation. He’d grill me about it later anyway. “Autumn Rhodes.”
“Consider it done.” There was a pause, as though he had something more to say but decided against it.
“Call me when you have it.” I returned the receiver to the cradle and leaned closer to my monitor, hoping to catch a better glimpse of Autumn when she turned around.
While I waited, I enjoyed the view from behind. Her back was slender, and her hips flared out from a petite waist. The fingers of one hand itched to wrap themselves around a hip as the other delved into her curls and pulled her head back. I wanted to grind my hardness into that lush, round ass before leaving my handprint on each cheek in a sign of ownership.
My naughty dreams were interrupted when she pivoted around and I got my first full look at the front of her. My cock was practically made of stone at this point, but when I saw her puffy, pink lips, he began to weep at the thought of having them wrapped around him. I knew it would be an unforgettable sight.
I could tell her eyes were big and expressive, her nose straight, and there was a deep dimple in each of her cheeks. Her tits were high and plump, and I knew without even touching them, that they would fit perfectly in my hands. Without the distraction of her ass, my eyes swept over the rest of her, down to long legs with thick thighs, cute little feet that were currently rocking at least four-inch heels. I vowed to feel those
heels digging into my ass while I fucked her before her weekend was over.
My eyes were glued to her until she disappeared into the elevator. I hated having her out of my sight. The profound sense of urgency to see her and make sure she was okay crawled over my skin.
I fought every instinct to make my way to the Silver Suite, the only other room on the Penthouse level, where I lived. I needed to get control of myself and find a way to meet her in an organic way. Otherwise, I might come on too strong and reveal the truth she wasn’t ready for. It seemed Autumn Rhodes had quickly become my obsession.
Chapter Two
Autumn
I’d been more than a little irritated when the hotel employee at the check-in desk had told me that my reservation had somehow been lost. Traveling, even the small distance between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, always left me feeling a little discombobulated. When you added in the fact that this trip was for business and not pleasure, it was easy to understand why I’d already been feeling off kilter. All I wanted was to get up to my room, kick off my heels, get out of the clothes I’d worn for the flight, take a hot shower, and hit up the slot machines so I could get my promise to my best friend out of the way.
No room meant I couldn’t do any of that because I’d be stuck trying to find one in a different hotel, which would’ve majorly sucked since the conference I was in town to attend was being held at the Lennox. It was why I’d booked it in the first place.
But my irritation had quickly turned to appreciation when the woman had explained that they’d upgraded me to their best suite to make up for their mistake. I’d figured it was a scripted response they used for any hotel guest who’d been inconvenienced and that I’d been moved to a room with maybe a small living area to make it a suite.
The first indication I’d been wrong was the thousand-dollar credit they’d given me to go along with the upgrade. It was more than the total cost of my room for the entire weekend. Then there was the fact that I’d had to insert my key card into the elevator in order to get it to go up to the penthouse level, where my room was apparently one of two on the entire floor. But neither of those warning signs had prepared me for the magnificence of the Silver Suite.
I pushed open the door and promptly lost my breath. The suite was utter perfection with its silver raffia wallpaper, luxurious furnishings, and floor to ceiling windows lining the wall opposite the entryway. “Whoa!”
The place was huge. As I rolled my carry-on bag through it in search of the bedroom, I found a fully-stocked bar, living room, kitchen, and dining room. The bedroom had a king-sized bed and attached bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub and walk-in shower. The tub was so inviting that my plan for a hot shower quickly changed to a long bath, and it was almost two hours later when I finally made my way back downstairs to hit up the slot machines. Bailey, my best friend, had made me promise that I’d take the time to gamble at least once while I was in town for the conference since it was my last chance before I headed to Africa to join Doctors Without Borders for a year.
“Only she never imagined I’d have a thousand dollars to play around with,” I mumbled to myself as I approached the cashier cage in the middle of the casino.
“Hello, miss.” The guy working at the window I approached offered me a small smile that grew wider when his eyes swept down my body and filled with masculine appreciation. “How can I help you today?”
There was enough innuendo in his tone to let me know he wasn’t just willing to help get me set up so I could gamble. But then his face paled and his expression turned one hundred percent professional. I figured maybe one of his bosses was near and he didn’t want to get into trouble. I was relieved since it meant I didn’t have to acknowledge his interest and shoot him down, which would’ve been super awkward.
“There should be a credit on my account.” I slid my room key and driver’s license across the counter towards him.
“Yes, ma’am.” He jerked his head towards his computer screen so quickly, I was almost worried he’d end up with whiplash. “I’ll be able to load it onto a loyalty card for you.”
“Thank you.”
His eyes widened in surprise and he gulped before he leaned forward to peer more closely at his computer screen.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, ma’am. No problem.” He shook his head, avoiding my eyes when he looked up after inserting a card into a slot and tapping a few buttons before removing it. “I was just double-checking the amount of the credit because I didn’t want to make a mistake.”
“Okay,” I drawled. I couldn’t help but think that whole encounter was super weird, but I shrugged and shook it off as I walked away. Rubbing my hands together, I scanned the available slot machines until I found the perfect one hidden among the higher stakes slots, a fruity five-line nickel slot with $1500 jackpot. It was probably an odd choice considering how much money the hotel had given me to play with, but I couldn’t picture myself playing a high-stakes game no matter whose money I was using.
I inserted my brand new player card into the slot on the machine, pressed a few buttons to set the betting rate at the minimum, pulled the handle, and watched it spin. I won a few credits here and there, but mostly lost. I had only played about a dozen times before I felt a tingling at the back of my neck. It made me feel like someone was watching me, which didn’t make sense because I was surrounded by a sea of gamblers. Glancing over my shoulder, I scanned the surrounding area to see if I could figure out who was looking at me.
The guy I spotted after about thirty seconds would’ve caught my attention even if he hadn’t been staring right at me. He had dirty-blond hair that made my fingers twitch with the need to run them through it. His tanned skin made me curious to know if he sun-bathed nude or if his butt was pale from wearing swim trunks. His blue eyes were brighter than the crystal-clear water I’d seen off the Na Pali Coast of Kauai during a vacation with my parents after I’d gotten my bachelor’s degree. He had a beard that was cut close to the skin, giving him a slightly rugged appearance. He was tall, probably about six-foot-two, with a lean, muscular build. His custom-tailored suit looked like it cost more than the contents of my entire closet back home. Even the way his long fingers were fiddling with a poker chip, rolling it back and forth over his knuckles, was intriguing.
In a nutshell, he was too sexy for any woman to miss. Me included. I’d been too busy between med school and my residency to pay much attention to men over the past seven years, but my sleeping libido came roaring back to life when I caught sight of the mystery man whose attention was squarely on me.
He stalked towards me, and anyone in his path hurried out of the way. Not that he even noticed since his gaze held mine the entire time, never straying from my face. By the time he reached me, I had goosebumps running up my spine, my panties were damp, and I was wishing I hadn’t changed into jean shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops before I came downstairs. This man was so far out of my league, but at least it wouldn’t have been quite as obvious if I was still wearing the dress and heels I’d had on from an early morning meeting before my flight. Although with the way his blue eyes were devouring me, he didn’t seem to mind. Not even a tiny bit.
Chapter Three
Drew
Autumn looked fucking adorable in her casual clothes and flip-flops that showed off cute, pink tipped toes. Unexpected possession flared up again and I actually hated that anyone was seeing those toes but me. When I saw her approach the cashier earlier, I’d been ready to kick Juan’s ass at the way he’d ogled Autumn. I didn’t know what he was saying to her, but I was confident that if I’d been able to hear it, he would be sporting a broken nose. My expression turned ugly as I stepped into his line of sight and stared him down.
Then the idiot had almost alerted Autumn to her “special status,” having obviously seen that the credit had been issued with my personal code and that she was currently staying in the Silver Suite, which had only ever been used by my close friends and family. Luckily, she hadn’t
caught on to his dumbfounded attitude.
I stood at the entrance of the casino and simply watched her for a while. Then she seemed to sense my attention and looked around curiously. When she found me on the casino floor, I considered looking away so that I didn’t freak her out with my intensity. But, her eyes, which I now saw were a dark coffee brown, did their own survey of my body and gleamed with approval.
Our gazes locked as I stalked towards her and though she looked confused at my notice, there was a spark of heated interest. I smiled as I reached her and dropped down onto the stool of the slot machine next to her.
“I considered using a pickup line on you, but I couldn’t think of one that wasn’t cheesy and didn’t reek of desperation. So, I’ve decided to go with the bold and honest approach”—I held out my hand—"I’m Andrew. Drew. And, you are fucking gorgeous.”
Her cheeks flushed prettily but she didn’t shy away. She stuck her hand in mine and her glossy lips—damn, I wanted to kiss those—tipped up. “Autumn. And, you’re not so bad yourself, blue eyes.” I grinned and brought her hand to my lips, brushing them over the back before reluctantly releasing it.
“Out of curiosity,” she started in a playful tone. “If you’d gone with a line, what would you have settled on?”
“Hmmm.” I scratched my beard as I thought for a minute, then winked at her. “If nothing lasts forever, will you be my nothing?” Autumn laughed and the musical sound sent shockwaves of desire pulsing through me.
It's Vegas, Baby: A Vegas, Baby Novella Page 1