by K. K. Allen
My heart danced as I felt familiar eyes on me. I glanced over without thinking, because I’d become good at feeling the connection Theo and I had in a crowded room. And even though his shades were still on, there was no question that his gaze was narrowed and set on me.
He was jealous. But he sure as hell didn’t have the right to be.
CHAPTER 48
Lex
Amie and I separated from the rest of the crew once we got to Hard Rock. Her excitement was palpable, which was exactly the distraction I needed. And she was right. I had miraculously acquired a second wind once our plane touched down.
“Slots,” she said to me as she tugged on my hand, her brows wiggling with eagerness. She dragged me past the lobby and into a maze of machines and lights until we paused at an ATM. “Here”—she slid to the side and pointed—“get some cash.”
I opened my mouth and shook my head. It was one thing to watch Amie play the slots, but there was no way I was gambling away my hard-earned money. Money had been decent ever since the show checks started coming in, but that money would need to last me until I booked another gig, which might not be until well after Winter’s show ended. No. I had to be smart with my money.
“C’mon, Lex. Just get out twenty dollars and call it your entertainment money. You have to experience this one time in your life, and I want to be the one you experience it with.”
I chewed on my lip while studying the cash machine, debating just how stupid it would be for me to take a single dime out of my checking account. I wanted to make Amie happy, and if I was honest, I wanted to try something new. Something adventurous. Something risky.
“Amie—” I was still debating with myself and about to tell her no again when she reached into her pockets and pulled out a five-dollar bill. “What are you doing?” I asked.
She handed the bill to me. “When you win, you can pay me back.” She threw me a teasing look. “But don’t worry if you lose it. That won’t even last you five minutes.”
I didn’t care if it lasted five seconds. The less time I gambled, the better. “That five dollars could buy me dinner.” My annoyance was mere fluff, because at this point, adrenaline was soaring through me.
Amie looked at me as if I were crazy. “Honey, that five dollars wouldn’t have bought you a small packet of French fries at the nearest fast-food restaurant. We’re in Vegas. However, you can probably score a free drink if you make that five last long enough.”
I didn’t want to tell her that I probably wouldn’t be drinking either.
We pulled up a stool at the nearest row of machines, and I watched Amie as she played, pushing buttons and achieving a loud dinging sound when she won something.
After a few minutes of playing, she leaned toward my machine and pointed at the buttons. “This is the bet,” she explained, pointing at each button. “This is a quarter slot, so if you push ‘One Coin,’ you’ll only gamble twenty-five cents. Just play that until you get comfortable.” My guess was that “Two Coins” doubled my bet.
Yeah, I’d take her advice. “One Coin.”
“After you select your bid, just hit this button.” She pointed at the big round button on my right side that read “Spin.” Then she flashed me a smile. “So easy. Basically, you just push buttons and pray you get lucky. Give it a try.”
I couldn’t help giggling when I pushed “Spin” for the first time. The symbols inside the glass started spinning so fast I couldn’t read them anymore.
Shane would have gotten a kick out of watching me play the slots. We always talked about going to Vegas together for the first time. We talked about doing everything together for the first time. A pang hit my heart when I realized how much I missed him. Theo had done a great job over the past week of taking my mind off my best friend. And now… Shit. No. Not going there.
“Anything to drink, loves?” A waitress in a sexy black number walked up, her eyes darting between us, as though she was in a hurry. Her name tag read “Chelsea.”
“Green apple martini, please.” Amie smiled at the waitress then looked at me. “They’re so good. Try one.”
“Um.” It wasn’t as though I was going to be driving anywhere, and Amie was a safe enough person to be drinking with. And I could already tell it would take more than the distractions of gambling to take my mind off Theo. I smiled at the waitress. “Same for me.”
Shit. My entire body felt alive already. Why did I just say yes?
When Chelsea came back with our drinks, I was already down to my last seventy-five cents.
The drink was sweet and sour all at once. And strong. I wrinkled my face, and Amie laughed as I pulled the cherry from the cup.
“You don’t like it?” She giggled the question.
I let the liquid settle in my stomach before answering. “Actually, I kind of do.” I took another sip and confirmed that I liked the taste. “Yeah, I love it,” I said with a grin.
Amie laughed and shook her head. “I’m already rubbing off on you. Better be careful. You’re going to wish they’d paired you with anyone else but me.”
“I highly doubt that.” It was not as though I’d never had a drink before. And the gambling thing, wasn’t that natural when in Vegas? I was simply having an experience. It didn’t mean I was going to do this every night.
I turned back to my machine and let my finger float over the “Spin” button. I had only twenty-five cents left. I laughed at my horrible luck, feeling lightheaded from the martini, and pushed the button.
When the spinner locked on three of the same symbols, the alarm on the machine started sounding. I jumped out of my chair, afraid I’d done something wrong.
“Holy shit.” I heard Amie say the words when she looked over, but I still hadn’t made sense of what had happened. I watched as her jaw almost fell on the floor. “Lex,” she breathed, then she pointed at the machine that was still screaming.
“Did I win?” I looked at the machine again. The siren at the top was going off like crazy. The lined-up symbols all said “Ten Times Pay.” Excitement whirled through me.
“Yes, you freaking won.” Amie stood up and gestured at something at the top of the machine, where the same symbols were lined up three in a row beside another number that listed the payout.
My heart lurched into my throat. I stopped laughing. “Are you telling me I just won five thousand dollars?” I shrieked.
Amie threw her head back and howled. When she came to, she was still clutching her stomach, nodding. “Yes, Lex. You just won five thousand freaking dollars off my measly five-dollar bill. Did I mention that the five dollars came with interest? Looks like we’re going shopping.” She winked and stuck her martini glass in the air and gestured for me to grab mine. “To Vegas.”
I grabbed my glass and clinked it with hers. “To Vegas.” I laughed.
CHAPTER 49
Theo
I’d been pacing my hotel room for so long I wouldn’t have been surprised if my feet had made permanent tracks in the suite’s premium carpet. I hated the feeling that had been slinking around my chest all day. I’d only been trying to do the right thing, to protect Lex, to remove the only thing standing between her and her dream—me. Yet it felt as though I’d done everything wrong.
I hadn’t been able to sleep since we arrived. Not with thoughts of Lex running wildly through my mind. I hated being in a strange city and unable to call her, see her, or even know where the fuck she was or what she was doing. But what I hated most was the fact that I’d be trapped in this form of hell for the next six and a half months.
And then what? Who was I kidding? After the way I treated her today, as if she were some side piece along the way to wherever I was going, she might never speak to me again. She wouldn’t give a shit about me in six months. She’d move on. We were in Vegas, for Christ’s sakes. Sin city. Every male with a dick and a brain would take one look at Lex and realize what I already knew. She was a fucking goddess. And she was single.
Fuck that.
&
nbsp; Fuck Winter.
Fuck Vegas.
I didn’t need any of it.
But Lex did.
And if I quit, Lex would be out, according to Winter. And if I spoke a word about Winter’s involvement, Lex would be fired. My only option was to let her go and make her believe it was what I wanted, when it wasn’t. Not even a little.
A knock at my door made my heart rate spike, and I practically sprinted to answer it. I swung the door open without checking the peephole first, half expecting to see Lex’s beautiful, smiling face on the other side. But it wasn’t her. It was the devil herself.
“You ready?” Winter wore a skintight sleeveless white dress and some painful looking heels. Alison stood behind her, sporting something similar, only her dress was green. Winter’s bodyguards flanked them both, suited and ready for the mandatory night ahead.
There were so many excuses I could have made to avoid the private dinner for the crew, and I should have used any one of them to avoid being in the same space as Winter and Lex. But the urge to see Lex, even from across the room, was too strong.
“You have everything?” Winter’s tone was already dripping with impatience.
Do I have everything? It certainly felt as if something were missing, but when I took a deep breath against my heavy chest, I knew that something was Lex.
I slipped my phone into my pocket and checked behind me to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything. “Yeah. Ready.”
We took the elevators to the first floor to meet hotel security, who escorted us outside to a private SUV. The distance between Hard Rock and Rio wasn’t far, but since we had to cross the strip traffic, I had to listen to Winter whine about Taylor Swift’s new single that was stealing her limelight. I practically sighed with relief when we reached the private entrance of Rio’s parking garage.
We were escorted to the fiftieth floor, home of VooDoo Steakhouse, and as soon as the elevator doors closed, I hung back from the group and searched the room for Lex. I didn’t notice Alison until I accidentally glanced at her, catching her in a stare.
“So.” She started the sentence, and I already knew what she was about to say. “You and Lex, huh?”
I looked at her, only to receive a sympathetic smile. “She told you?” Winter usually told Alison everything, but I was under the impression my relationship with Lex had stayed between us.
“Does it really surprise you that I know? Winter and I are practically the same person. Except”—she twisted her face—“her paychecks are much larger than mine.”
Despite my shitty mood, I chuckled. “You should talk to your boss about giving you a raise.”
“Ha,” she barked. “I do. Daily. She only agrees when she’s wasted. Funny enough, she never seems to remember it in the morning.”
I pinched my lips together to keep from laughing. Alison was beautiful, intelligent, and exceptionally talented at her job. Not just answering to Winter’s beck and call. Far more went on behind the scenes that Winter trusted her with but would never give her credit for. Lucky for Winter, Alison was loyal.
“I don’t know how to respond to that, to be honest.” It was nice to confess to someone, I just wished it were under different circumstances. “There was something but not anymore.”
“Winter told you to end it?”
“She reminded me that it never should have started.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
I searched for Lex in the crowd again, failing to see past Winter’s entourage. I sighed and turned back to Alison. “It wasn’t supposed to be anything. I’ve only ever been good at the casual stuff. But with Lex—” I stopped myself and shook my head. What the fuck am I saying? “I shouldn’t be talking about this with you.”
Alison’s eyes went soft, and they held something I felt deep in my chest. Hope. Though it was just a glimmer. “You can trust me.”
“Does it really matter how I feel, Alison? I’ve never exactly been dating material.” I groaned inwardly at my own admission. “Lex deserves someone great. Someone who’s available in every sense of the word.”
The look that Alison threw my way only made my chest ache more. “You’re a good guy, Theo. Hardworking, talented beyond belief, and loyal to a fault. Believe it or not, those are qualities women look for in a man. Don’t sell yourself short.”
“If it would have worked with anyone, it would have worked with Lex.” The conviction in my tone shocked even me.
Alison squeezed my arm. “Maybe it still can.”
Perhaps Alison didn’t know how clear Winter had made things. Or maybe she was insinuating that I challenge Winter. But I was certain about one thing—after my jerkish behavior, Lex wouldn’t be waiting for me to figure it out.
As we stood there, I noticed that not a single crew member had stepped forward to greet Winter. The room was filled to capacity at 250 people, all crew. Everyone from the AV guys to the roadies to Winter’s personal staff were there, taking full advantage of the open bar and endless appetizers. This was supposed to be her night, and her grand entrance was already ruined.
Alison must have had the same thought because she shot forward, took Winter’s arm, and started to navigate her through the crowd.
I continued to search for Lex. When I spotted Reggie, tall and boisterous, on the other side of the room, I knew Lex wouldn’t be far away. One glance to my right confirmed it. She was standing between Reggie and Amie, a wide smile on her face as she spoke animatedly with Brenda. And like a punch to the gut, I knew I’d made the biggest fucking mistake of my life. I just didn’t know how to fix it.
I’d never seen Lex look so radiant. With glowing eyes, a sparkling smile, and infectious laughter, she looked more in her element than I’d ever seen her.
My eyes dropped, and I swallowed as I took in her outfit. She wore a fitted black top with a low V that left little to the imagination. Hooked over her shoulders were tiny straps that I could easily shred with my teeth. A thin black necklace dropped between her breasts, dipping into the lowest point of her shirt, near her belly button. Her pink skirt was shiny, flowy, and short, wrapped tightly around her waist and tied in a long bow at the front. She was sensational. And apparently, I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
Reggie’s arm slipped around her shoulders, and he leaned in and said something in her ear. My fists balled, and my entire body grew hot. As soon as his gaze dropped to her breasts, I started to move across the room, too livid to think about what I was doing or what I would say.
My heart led the way as I edged through the crowd until I was a few feet behind her.
Fuck me. Her back.
Her shirt was cut so low it reached into her shiny ruffle skirt, held together with a thin string bow in the back.
“Theo,” Amie called when she spotted me. “You’ll never guess who hit the jackpot.”
My heart thumped, wondering if she saw the way I was just eye fucking her friend’s spine. I had no clue who she was talking about but narrowed my eyes and pointed at her. “You?” I mostly mouthed.
She shook her head and pointed at the vixen in the two-piece dress. “Lex.”
Lex caught the exchange and turned to me, our eyes meeting for the first time since they were shaded on the plane. Her entire face grew shadows at the sight of me. I could have died, right then and there.
I had two options. Either embrace the pain as my insides withered away or throw her over my shoulder and carry her as far away from Reggie, Winter, and Vegas as we could get.
In a perfect world, all of that bullshit with the contract wouldn’t matter. In a perfect world, I would have her back in my bed, beneath my hips, where I could stare at the sapphire eyes that had captured me from Day One.
When her eyes flickered away from mine and she lost her smile, I died a second death. The images of us escaping Vegas faded fast. Still, I considered pulling her away from the crowd to get her alone, to explain my behavior earlier. But a figure in white flashed before my eyes, halting me.
My heart sank. I looked up. Standing a mere five feet away was Winter, watching, just waiting for me to fuck up. I was almost thankful when Reggie’s boisterous laughter ripped through the air, distracting Winter’s gaze.
I didn’t even notice Reggie’s eyes land on me. “Hey, Theo.” His lip curled as he tugged Lex to his body. “Can you believe this? I leave my girls for five minutes, and Lexie over here is cashing in on five K.”
My girls? Lexie? Since when did he give Lex a new name? And why the fuck was he grabbing her like that?
Fire raged inside me as I took the few steps needed to get to Winter, my eyes blazing on her as she cowered. I didn’t care that everything about me frightened her in that moment. I leaned down. “I want new terms. Starting now.”
Her face wrinkled. “You don’t get to set the terms, Theo.”
I glowered, my jaw practically shaking with anger. “New terms. Or I quit.”
Winter let out an uncomfortable laugh but shook her head. “If you quit, then—”
“No more threats,” I growled low to her ear, so no one else could hear me. I wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Keep your boy Reggie off her. I don’t trust him. Talk to him, Winter. Or I walk and take Lex with me. You think I won’t find her another gig? I’ll find her a better one and expose you for your threats.” I took a shaky, rage-filled breath. “Are we clear?”
Winter’s eyes were pointed over my shoulder at Reggie, and I couldn’t help noticing something I couldn’t believe I had missed before—jealousy.
Winter’s eyes flashed back to mine, her nose flaring. “Fine. You have a deal.”
“And one more thing.” I had her. I might have even had the upper hand. “What Lex and I do behind closed doors is none of your damn business.”
“I can’t agree to that,” she hissed.
I shook my head, ready to drive my point home. “You don’t have to agree to it. You won’t know about it. Got it?”