What Happens in Vegas: A BWWM Alpha Male Romance

by Stacey Mills

  Chapter 8: The Event

  “It’s a bit more complicated than we thought but, honestly, it’s worth it.” These were the words Shauna had told her best friend, Michelle, when first trying to describe the nature of her relationship to Nick. Because they were now in an official and committed relationship and her friend had picked up on something in the atmosphere when they all finally had dinner together. She was not sure what it was or even that it was bad, but it was present and so she decided to question Shauna to no end about everything having to do with Nick. “Everything’s okay, trust me.” She had said this with such a sense of finality that it stopped the stream of questions pouring out of Michelle’s mouth. Her best friend was not annoyed by her short answers but she did, of course, add it to her wondering what was going on between the two. She chalked it up to having to do with his social status and family name but she had no idea what the role his family name actually played in all this.

  And, just like that, three months passed by and now they were rounding out their fourth month of being together. Shauna knew it was not long, especially because the first month had just been dating rather than an actual relationship, but it felt like a much longer time. It did not feel that way because she was unhappy or there had been too much stress; she felt that way because of the level of closeness, comfort, and intimacy in her relationship. The way they acted with each other, treated each other, and even looked at each other was not common for such a short amount of time. “But when you find the person who you just have that natural, intense chemistry with it just works out this way.” She always thought of those words one of her friends had told her years ago when she met the man she eventually married. And, now, they were still happily married.

  Shauna did not think of them as some beacon of hope or even an aspiration. Rather, she liked to think of them as kindred spirits. There were other people who found someone so electrifying and amazing there was no other way to be. She could not imagine her relationship with Nick being any other way and she was certain he felt the same way about it all. He sometimes still caught her off guard with how direct and open he was and, every time, it was a fresh reminder of how she had fallen so quickly for him. Despite all this, neither of them had ever uttered the word “love” to each other or even in their personal thoughts. They just were and that was all that mattered in the moment.

  Their time passed by uneventfully, much to Shauna’s relief. Somehow, in her naïve mind, she seemed to think that if nothing had happened to her by now she was in the clear. But that did not actually make any sense, she just was not aware of that. She could only focus on how Nick made her feel and how happy her life was. She suddenly felt herself being dazzled by the “dollar signs attached to his name.” This was the first thing Michelle said to describe him when he left after their first dinner together. And he certainly did have those dollar signs attached to his name not just in actuality but also in how he presented himself. She could not help the notion that it afforded her some sort of security. She seemed to think this financial security would secure any future they could have together, even emotionally. That was yet another thing she was thinking about in the wrong way.

  “Would it be wrong to say those dollar signs are part of the pull you feel? That they form part of your desire to stay?”

  Michelle had not asked these questions with any negativity or judgment behind them. She had plainly asked them to get Shauna thinking, and it worked. Though she deeply cared for Nick and was completely attracted to him, there was no denying that wealth was a part of him and something that played into the equation. She just hated thinking about it because it made her feel cheap and cruel. It made her feel like she was the kind of woman to stay with a man just because of his money even if she knew deep down that was not at all the case. Just admitting his money was a plus did not make her that way. Logically, she knew this. But she had dated a man for his money once in the past and it continued to haunt her, wrack her with guilt and make her fear doing it again even if she did not consciously do so.

  And in these past months she had more than just a glimpse of what life with him was like. Now she had a much greater access, a private tour version of it and it was addicting. It was dazzling and exciting to be taken to places she could have never dreamed of gaining access to on her own or even places she did not know existed. It was strange to think of going on his boat as a common thing, a place of comfort for their version of a “date night in.” It was not until she actually talked about that to Michelle that she realized one thing she had not been given access to: his home. She had no idea where he lived or if he lived alone. She had no idea what part of the city he habituated whether it be a house or an apartment. It was almost as if going to his boat had blinded her from this, as if going there regularly had substituted in her mind for his own home.

  “I don’t understand how that’s possible,” Michelle said in confusion. And, truth be told, neither did Shauna. What confused her more was the intense discomfort she felt when she thought about bringing it up to Nick.

  “You look amazing,” he told her later on in the evening, after she had come to the realization with Michelle. He pushed her against the wall and ran his hand up her side to touch her boob. “We can go later,” he told her right before he pressed his lips against hers and wedged her tightly between the wall and his body. She could feel he was already hard as his bulge pressed up against her leg. She sighed in defeat because this was irresistible and the awkward conversation, if she chose to initiate it, could wait. How could she deny her own desire for him? How could she deny the man who was rock hard just because of how she looked? She could not and she did not want to. His hands grabbed the hem of her dress and hiked it up to her waist, one hand sliding back down between her legs to rub her with an open palm over her panties. His tongue played along her neck before he went back in for another kiss, his hand no longer rubbing her in favor of moving the panties to the side and a finger running insistently along her now-wet slit. He kissed her deeply and she heard his pants unzip, felt the tip of his cock suddenly inside her.

  She moaned into his mouth as he thrust just the head of his cock in and out of her, the ridge of it rubbing against her clit over and over again driving her crazy. When he finally thrust the full length of his cock into her, she broke the kiss and let her head fall back as a cry fell out of it. This is crazy, she thought over and over again. She was not entirely sure why she was thinking that in the moment but she could not stop those words from circling in her mind. He lifted her and held her up as she wrapped both legs around him so he could more easily thrust in and out of her, his grunts sounding right next to her ear and his heavy, hot breaths warming up her skin. He continued to thrust faster and faster until he finished, immediately letting her go so she stood up while holding onto his shoulders for balance. It had happened very suddenly and ended quite quickly but it was not as if she had not enjoyed it. “Fuck,” he said quietly when he looked down and saw he had stained his pants with cum. Luckily, none had gotten on her dress but she definitely needed to clean herself up and change her panties.

  She strolled into her bedroom and called out to him. “You have some slacks here,” she said as she put two of them on the bed before going into the bathroom to clean up. She saw some of her makeup had smeared so, after wiping herself and throwing her panties into the hamper, she set out to fix it. He walked into the bathroom wearing the clean pair of slacks and threw the others into the hamper, stopping to look at her as she finished fixing up her makeup. “Ready to go?” He nodded and walked back out into the living room, grabbing his keys and waiting for her by the front door. She picked up her clutch and gave herself a final once over in the hallway mirror before taking his hand and walking out.

  “I still have no idea what tonight is about,” she told him as they drove into the heart of the city, otherwise known as the Las Vegas Strip. Though she lived nearby, she had never frequented it very much until now that she was with Nick. He had amazing connection
s in most places, at least the places anyone wanted to be, and knew of so many things to do and restaurants to eat at that she had just never known about. She even enjoyed going to lounges with him and having cocktails while people watching, amused by the numerous drunk people from out of town and even out of state stumbling their way through what they thought was the true Vegas experience. He smiled and said, “I know.”

  She scoffed playfully and asked, “So I don’t get to know?”

  “When have my surprises ever let you down?”

  She hummed and continued looking out the window, occasionally laughing at something she saw someone doing out on the street. “Only here can you see the most ridiculous stuff happen in public and know those people think it’s perfectly acceptable.” He laughed right as he turned into a parking garage, driving straight to the valet. They walked onto the elevator and he pressed the number for a high floor so she knew they were not going into a casino. When they exited, he led her to another elevator for which he needed to insert a key to access. “What is this,” she thought out loud. He only smiled and offered his arm, which she was very grateful for when the elevator doors opened right onto the lavish penthouse suite packed with people.

  “Nick!” A tall man with a deep voice and a striking resemblance to Nick had called out toward him and started walking in their direction. When he arrived, he looked at Shauna like he had a very clear idea who she was but did not want to risk stepping on any toes. “Shauna,” Nick said as he motioned toward the man, “This is my older brother, Marcus.” Shauna mustered up the most charming smile she could and reached out for a handshake. Marcus took her hand and shook it vigorously with the same grin plastered on his face. He did not seem like the person who would be at the head of such a notorious family but, then again, this was a party and he was happy to see his younger brother.

  It instantly became clear how much Marcus valued family and how much affection he truly held for his younger brother. He accompanied them for a while, going on and on about how great the caterer was for this party and insisting they make it to the buffet line before it was too late. “I am pretty hungry,” Shauna admitted. Nick chuckled and nodded, taking her over to the food so they could both have servings of whatever they liked. Marcus popped up just in time to escort them onto the balcony and said, “Saved a seat for you right over here.” He led them to an elevated corner of the balcony that had been roped off. There was a small table set for two with a candle in the middle and it overlooked one of the best views of the city. It was breathtaking. Marcus winked and walked away, leaving Nick and Shauna alone to enjoy their dinner together with no company but the numerous twinkling and flashing lights below them.

  Once they had finished eating, Nick reached across the table and took Shauna’s hand in his. He looked at her with that deep admiration he always had in his eyes from day one but there was also an immense affection in his look now. “I’m so happy you’re here with me,” he told her. She smiled and said, “I’m happy to be here with you.” He rubbed his thumb on hers and looked out onto the lights of the city, the bright lights coming from numerous casino signs flashing in his eyes. “My brother has this party every year,” he told her. “I’ve never brought anyone. I’ve never been with anyone I wanted to bring. But you, you’re different. You always have been. It’s a big deal to him.” He turned back to look at her and smiled.

  She was about to say something in response when they heard a couple slow claps and they turned to look at the person walking toward them. A man in his late forties or early fifties was walking up to their table with a smug look on his face. “Would you just look at what we have here,” he said as his eyes went back and forth between them until they finally landed on Shauna. She felt highly uncomfortable having him scrutinize every detail of her face so she turned to look toward Nick and that is when she noticed the hardened look in his eyes. She gulped, wondering whom this man was. Something felt off. “I’m glad you’re so happy,” he said mockingly. She looked at him through the corner of her eye and saw him make a flourishing gesture around him. “It’s so great you all have so much to celebrate. I would have thought your brother might show a little more respect and concern, given what happened.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nick said through gritted teeth. She could tell he was trying to hide any worry he may have been feeling. “You know I have nothing to do with this stuff.”

  “This stuff,” the man said slowly and deliberately, as if Nick had uttered highly offensive words he needed to think carefully about. “I know. You’re Saint Nicholas, right? You’re like the Santa Claus of the Verraud family. You just want to drop by when it’s the right time and spread joy. But, you know, some people see you as a man who breaks and enters. You’re still a criminal, whether you like it or not.”

  Nick pushed himself up to stand and balled up his fists, his knuckles turning white. “I’m not a criminal,” he said quietly. He took one step forward and said, “If something went wrong or if you have some kind of problem, you should know by now I’m not the one to talk to.”

  The man let out a snide laugh and took one step closer to Nick but his eyes remained fixed on Shauna. “Oh, Nicholas, do you really think you can make a fool of me?”

  “I think you’re doing a fine enough job of that on your own, actually.”

  The man turned to look at Nick with his eyes narrowed and a scowl on his face. “Don’t mess with me, kid. I’ll make you very sorry for it.”

  “I told you, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m not the one you should be talking to. It’s best if you just leave me alone.”

  The man sneered and replied, “Alright. I’ll do just that. I’ll leave you alone.” With that, he turned on his heel and stalked off into the crowd. Shauna heard gasps of shock and alert coming from the people the man passed and it was not until he was inside that she heard Marcus’ booming voice. Nick stepped in front of her and crouched with worry and sorrow filling his eyes. “I am so sorry,” he told her. “That has never happened. My brother will take care of it.” He stood up and took her by the hand, walking slowly toward the balcony doors and keeping her behind him. When he was sure the man had left he cautiously approached his brother. Marcus looked at Nick meaningfully and then said, “We need to talk. Now.”

  Shauna busied herself at the bar, ordering a cocktail and sipping it out on the balcony near the doors as she waited for Nick to finish his conversation with his brother. Marcus had taken him to the study and locked the door after kicking out a group of three people who had been chatting in it. Twenty minutes passed by and then thirty. Pretty soon, she started to think this conversation could go on for so long that she would have to find her own way back home. The chatter and laughter surrounding her seemed to stretch with every minute that passed by so very slowly. Finally, when the crowd had thinned and the hour was late, Nick stepped out to join her on the balcony. She had stayed in the same spot the entire time barely even taking more than a couple sips from her cocktail. He touched her arm gently and said, “I’m sorry that took so long. We should go now.”

  He led her out of the suite and onto the elevator. As they walked to the valet stand she could not help but notice he kept looking around as if he were checking their surroundings for safety. Is this it? Is this how it starts? Those were the kinds of questions running through her mind. When the car was pulled up in front of them she noticed he took a quick look inside before letting her get on. He seemed to be checking something on it before driving off but he did not say a word to her. He did not speak for the entire drive and then she realized they were not going back to her apartment. “Nick, we passed the exit for my place.” She had to think he was lost in his thoughts and had just made a mistake. She also knew this was not the way to the lake where he kept his boat. “I know,” he said but did not elaborate or even clue her in to where they were headed. About twenty minutes later and they were off the highway and entering a very upscale gated community.

&nb
sp; He pulled up into a house with its lights off. “This is my house,” he muttered before stepping out. He quickly walked around and pulled her door open, holding his hand out for her to take. He locked the car and activated the alarm before taking both her hands in one of his and holding her behind him. He was pulling her behind him as he walked up to the front door, his eyes very carefully scanning his surroundings. He opened his front door and bolted it once she was inside but did not turn on the lights. He stood where enough moonlight hit him, filtering in through the windows, and pressed a finger to his mouth to indicate she should not speak. He reached into a drawer off the table by the door and pulled out a gun, much to her surprise. She bit down on her lip to stifle her gasp but she bit down hard enough she tasted blood. She whimpered as quietly as she could from the pain and fear welling up in her stomach and spreading up to her throat. He walked around the entire first floor very quietly and checking every corner for someone. He then led her upstairs and did the same thing, entirely in the dark. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he turned on the light of the hallway upstairs.