by MJ Masucci
“Get your filthy hands off her, or I’ll snap your neck.”
The man let go, and he pulled Ava behind him, releasing the man from his grip at the same time. Xander pushed him, and he stumbled away. He bent down and yelled in Ava’s ear so she could hear him over the music.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?”
She nodded, and he took her by the hand and led her off the dance floor and to a table the group was occupying.
“Do you want some water?”
“Can we go somewhere quieter?”
“Sure, if that’s what you want.”
He held her hand, and they pushed through the crowd. She waved to Sam so she would know she was alright. Sam nodded and smiled at her. They took the elevator down to the bottom floor and walked out into the Las Vegas night.
“That’s better. Now we can talk normally.”
Ava let go of his hand, and they walked side by side to hail a cab. They made small talk on the way back to the hotel. She told him that the club scene was not for her. She only went because she didn’t want to disappoint Sam. They went up to her suite to have a talk.
It had been the first real conversation they had in weeks. He said he wanted to be friends and that it was so hard not to talk to her at the office. She didn’t hide her disappointment. She was hoping that he would want to get back together. But she told herself, baby steps, baby steps.
Xander left to go to his suite next door, and she got ready for bed. It was only midnight, but even with a nap, she was exhausted. She would have preferred being in bed with him, but it wasn’t going to happen.
At 4:00 AM she was awakened by Dani, Sandra, and Sam. They had club hopped after she and Xander had left. They were hot, sweaty. She was sure that Dani was going to throw up because she was so drunk. They placed her in bed and put a bucket that had previously held champagne near the bed. Fortunately, for Ava, she was sleeping in the bedroom with Sandra.
Samantha was curious about what had transpired between Ava and Xander. She explained that nothing had happened. He said he wanted to be friends, and that was a step in the right direction.
The next day Dani was nursing a hell of a hangover. She begged them to leave her alone for a few hours so she could sleep it off. They were happy to oblige since they were all going down to the hotel pool. Ava put on a black bikini that left little to the imagination. You could practically see her tattoo; the band was so low. Her weight loss was very noticeable, and she was once again closer to one hundred pounds than one hundred ten. The morning before she left, she weighed herself, and the digital scale had read one hundred three.
She didn’t care for food, and her stomach was always in knots especially on days she was with Xander more than she cared to be. But she was still muscular, and her stomach looked taut and tight. She put her hair in a ponytail and slathered on sunscreen before she slipped her sunglasses on and grabbed a towel. The guys had staked out lounge chairs for the group. They already had drinks and Nico, Stavros and Christos were already in the pool.
When Christos saw Ava come down, he called her into the pool. She slipped in from the side right into his arms, and he twirled her around in the water. She laughed and saw Xander frown. She was glad that she had sunglasses on because she could watch his reactions. She wanted to get him jealous. He just sat on the lounge chair watching her. Christos had his hands all over her and placed several kisses on her cheek and neck. Xander was getting frustrated with their behavior. He wanted to do those things to her, not watch some other guy do them. He knew she was trying to get a rise out of him.
He saw his chance to confront her when she went to go upstairs because she forgot her sunscreen. Her shoulders were beginning to redden. She walked toward the elevators and felt a hand on her elbow turning to see Xander behind her.
“I know what you are doing,” he said quietly.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re trying to make me jealous.”
“Xander, I’m doing no such thing. We aren’t together, and you’ve made it abundantly clear that you only want to be friends. So why can’t I spend time with someone else?”
They stepped into the elevator. He pressed her against the wall and forced his lips upon hers. She responded as his lips moved and his tongue invaded her mouth. She became weak-kneed, and a hot flush began to flood her body. He removed his mouth from hers and pulled off his, then her, sunglasses. He looked her in the eye.
“Because I want you. As much as I have tried, and believe me, I have. I cannot get you out of my head. No matter what you’ve done, I don’t care. I want you so much. I haven’t stopped wanting you.”
“Wanting me is very different than loving me. You can’t keep doing this to me. You were so cold to me at the office for weeks, and now you want me? Just because another man is paying attention doesn’t mean you can interfere. Either you love me, or you don’t. I can’t change how things happened, but you seem to want your way without considering my feelings.”
He was about to answer her when the elevator stopped on a floor to pick up people. He moved away from her but stroked her arm with his fingers. She felt the electricity between them and her belly clenched. She wanted him but not if it had to be on his terms. The people with them got out two floors below theirs. He waited until they stopped on their floor to answer her.
“My way is our way. I see the way you look at me at the office. I see it when you think I’m not paying attention. You love me, too.”
“You hurt me, Xander. Out of everyone in my life you have wounded me the most.”
“I hurt you? You hurt me, too.”
She put her hand up to stop him because if this was going to turn into a tit for tat battle, she wanted no part.
“Just a few weeks ago we were at Z; you wanted to marry me. Now where are we?”
“I want to be at M.”
“What is M?”
“I want to make love to you. I miss holding you in my arms.”
“How is that M?”
“A is courting, G is dating, M is making love, S is engagement and Z is marriage.”
She looked at him like he was crazy. “That’s an interesting philosophy. But it doesn’t work that way.”
“It does,” he insisted.
He reached out to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. She backed away from him not wanting to feel his touch. It would make her weaken, and she needed to be strong. They stood at the door to her suite staring at each other until Sam came out of the elevator a minute later.
“Hey, you two, are you coming back down to the pool?”
Ava answered her.
“Yes, I have to get more sunscreen. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Xander turned and went to the door of his suite. He was unhappy that Sam had interrupted their conversation, but there was nothing he could do. He went inside and went to the bar. He needed something to take the edge off his emotions and found a bottle of scotch that he poured in one of the thick crystal tumblers.
Inside the suite next door, Sam questioned Ava.
“What was that all about?”
“Something about his jealousy. He wants me, but on his terms. I don’t think he liked Christos paying attention to me.”
“Ava, don’t play games with Christos. He wants to fuck you.”
“I know that. I’m not naïve. I realize when a man wants to have sex.”
“Do you? I think if that were true you would know that Xander wants you in his bed.”
“Can we drop this? I don’t want to discuss it anymore. I just want to enjoy myself.”
She applied more sunscreen while Sam used the bathroom. They went down together as Xander sat in the suite next door savoring his scotch. He came down a half hour later and sat on the lounge next to Jacob. He kept a watchful eye on Ava as she frolicked in the water with Christos. He had noticed that she was thinner than when they had last been together weeks before. That meant that she wasn’t eating regularly, a fact
that worried him.
“You still got it bad for her don’t you?”
Xander turned to Jacob.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t bullshit me. I’ve seen that look from you before.”
“How could you possibly know what I am looking at, I’m wearing sunglasses.”
“I can tell. You haven’t taken your eyes off her since she got down here. And where did you two go before?”
“I went upstairs to take a break from the hot sun. She was on her way up to put on sunscreen. Nothing is going on if that is what you’re asking.”
“I know nothing is going on. But you want it to.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said as he reclined the lounger.
Ava watched Xander. She knew he was watching her as she played with Christos, Robert, and Stavros in the pool. She wanted him to be jealous, but she was playing a dangerous game. Samantha was correct; Christos did want to fuck her, and it was something she had no intention of doing. Several times his hand had brushed against her breasts or ass.
That night they enjoyed a group dinner at The Buffet at the Bellagio. Ava only partially filled her plate, and it wasn’t lost on Xander. He watched her as she picked through what she had taken. She barely ate anything. Their separation had taken its toll on her.
They convened in Nico’s suite to have a few drinks and prepare to go out for the night. Ava had dressed more conservatively than the night before, but she still showed plenty of cleavage and leg. She had declined Sam making her up again, instead of going for a more natural look. Xander was pleased. It didn’t matter to him; she was gorgeous no matter what she wore on her body or face.
Christos was all over her in the suite offering her shots of tequila and champagne. Xander was concerned that Christos was trying to get her drunk, which at her weight would not be hard. He was going to have to watch her tonight. They entered The Bank, one of the clubs on the Bellagio property and were escorted to two tables since the group was so large, one next to the other. Xander was sitting on the far outside seat of the second booth watching Christos as he bought a round of drinks for everyone.
He could see that Ava was becoming drunk quickly. She had barely eaten anything most of the day but was consuming alcohol at an alarming rate. He ordered a scotch and nursed it while everyone drank champagne, shots, and mixed drinks. Even after they ordered snacks, Ava still wasn’t eating. He watched as she downed glass after glass of champagne courtesy of Christos.
The others in the group were just as bad, and he had a feeling he would be babysitting a few tonight. Ava got up to stumble to the bathroom with Sam. He watched Christos as he sipped at his water. Besides Xander, he was the only one that wasn’t drunk. Xander had seen this very process in college. Get a girl drunk and take her back to the dorm room for sex.
When Ava came back, Christos stood up and told her that it was time for her to go back to the suite. As Nico and Sandra got up; Sam stumbled with Christos being the closest to her. He reached out to steady her, and she fell into his lap. Xander took the opportunity to take Ava by the hand and lead her out of the club before Christos knew what happened.
He got her into the elevator and took her up to his room. He had rented a separate room that afternoon. Robert snored so loud that he couldn’t hear himself think. One night was enough for him. Robert could have the entire bedroom to himself.
He helped her to his room not wanting to leave her drunk in her room by herself. His worry was that she would choke if she vomited. He laid her on his bed and began removing her shoes, then her dress. Her bra and panty set was very revealing, and he tried to pay attention to something else as he changed her. He slipped a shirt of his on her, picked her up and peeled back the covers, slipping her under them. Then he stroked her cheek, running his thumb over her full red lips and bent down to softly kiss her.
She mumbled in her sleep, but he could only make out a few words.
“Xander, I love you. Why did you leave me?”
It made him sad to think this is what was in her subconscious. He wanted to make it right; he needed to make it right. He was never going to be good for anyone but her. She was his soul mate.
He changed and settled on the couch in the corner of the room. He would have loved to sleep with her but he had no idea what her reaction would be the next morning. The couch was narrow but comfortable.
Sometime during the night he heard her stirring and opened his eyes. She was sitting up in bed trying to orient herself with her surroundings. He had left the bathroom light on and watched her walk towards it. She went in, and he heard her vomiting. He sprang up to see if she needed anything.
He grasped her hair which startled her.
“What the fuck are you doing in my room?”
“I’m not in your room; you’re in mine.”
After she had finished and he helped her stand, she washed her mouth out with water and a capful of mouthwash he had on the counter. He waited and helped her back to the bed.
“How did I get here?”
“I brought you.”
“Why can’t you let me alone? Why did you do this?”
“Because if I did not, you would be in Christos’ bed. He was plying you with drinks all night. I knew what his intention was.”
“I don’t remember any of it.”
“I don’t suppose you would with all the alcohol you had.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “So you thought you would be my knight in shining armor saving me from the big bad Christos?”
“A simple thank you would be sufficient.”
“Fuck you, Xander. Where are my clothes?”
She stood up too quickly and became dizzy, falling back down into a sitting position on the bed.
“I don’t feel so good.”
“Ava, stop being so damn stubborn. You can rest here. I’m sleeping on the couch. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“No.”
“No, I can’t sleep on the couch? Do you want me to leave?”
“No, I want you in bed with me.”
He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Are you sure?”
“Can you hold me? I always feel better when you hold me.”
He wasn’t going to argue with her. It’s what he wanted, too. He slipped into bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her. It felt so good to have her near him again. He nuzzled her hair with his nose and breathed in her perfume. Within minutes Ava was asleep. He took the opportunity to whisper in her ear.
“I love you, Ava Keene, and you’re going to be my wife.”
The next morning Ava woke up in Xander’s arms. She had no idea of the time or even where her purse was so she could check the time on her phone. She nibbled on his arm to wake him, using her lips to pull at the hairs.
“Hey, that tickles,” he sleepily mumbled. “You smell so good.”
“I think I reek of alcohol. Uggghhh, what did I drink last night.”
He unfolded his arms from around her and sat up.
“You drank too much and too many drinks.”
She sat up and her head thrummed. She had a massive hangover.
“I’m going to have to stay in bed all day the way I feel.”
“You need some water or Gatorade and aspirin. I’m sure room service could supply those unless you want to go back to your room?”
The thought had occurred to her, but she didn’t want to deal with the plethora of questions that would accompany her late morning entrance into the suite. She preferred to stay here with Xander. As long as she wasn’t feeling well, he would stay with her, and that would give them a chance to talk.
She settled back into bed, and he called room service asking for breakfast, Gatorade, and aspirin. From somewhere in the room she heard her phone chirp several times.
“Do you know where my purse is?”
He moved the clothing he had deposited on an armchair the night before and handed her the bag. She fished out he
r phone and was greeted with many texts spanning from the night before to just seconds ago. She chose to answer the latest one from Sam, that read
Where the fuck are you? What happened to you last night?
Xander has his own room, and he brought me there last night.
Oh? You have something to tell me?
Can I meet up with you later? I have a terrible hangover and want to stay in bed for a little longer.
Bed?
Nothing happened last night so stop speculating. I’ll text you later.
While she was in the bathroom, room service came. Xander handed her a bottle of Gatorade and the small package of aspirin that she promptly took.
“Drink as much as you can. You need to hydrate. Do you want something to eat?”
She shook her head. Right now the last thing she wanted was food. Her stomach was roiling, and she was afraid she would vomit again. He furrowed his eyebrows at her, and she waited.
“How much weight have you lost?”
“Not a lot.”
“How much then?”
“Seven pounds. I’m one hundred three last time I checked.”
“Fuck, Ava, why aren’t you eating?”
“I don’t feel like it. I’m just not hungry.”
He calculated in his head how long they had been apart and how much per week on average she had lost. It was over a pound a week.
“Can I take you to dinner tonight? Just the two of us.”
“Ok.” Her heart fluttered at the thought of being with him on a date.
She lay back down on the bed while he ate breakfast. After he was finished, he placed the cart in the hall outside his room and lay next to her. He stroked her hair and rubbed her back lulling her back to sleep. When she woke up two hours later, he was fully dressed in shorts and a polo shirt. She smelled his cologne.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
There was that flutter again. “Better. The headache is not so bad now. I’m going to go back to my room and take a shower; I need one.” She reluctantly pulled off his shirt and put on her dress from last night.