Electrified

by Rachel Blaufeld

  As soon as they went through the double doors, a VIP host was there to greet them, apologizing for the misunderstanding at the valet.

  Carson stated matter-of-factly, “We were going to have coffee and something to eat at Le Mirage Bakery. Perhaps there’s a private room where we can enjoy something from there?” He held his posture straight and rigid, letting his eyes roam the casino lobby before coming right back to bore down on the host.

  “Yes. How about we set you up in a private gaming room and bring you a menu from Le Mirage?”

  “Good, lead the way,” Carson said tersely.

  Sienna felt like she should apologize. She leaned close and said, “Sorry, Carson. We should’ve just stuck with the coffee place by my house.”

  “Don’t you dare apologize. That valet had no right to shout your name and alert those photographers. At least now I get to see you with your hair down.” He set her at ease with one of his sexy winks.

  Sienna gave him a small smile in response. She hoped no one was tweeting that she was on the Strip; she really wanted a quiet afternoon without crazy fans. On a good note, this always made for extra-heavy crowds at the club when she was spotted. All the chatter made even more people want to see her live. Asher would be pissed she was on the Strip without letting him know, but the Tunnel would benefit.

  Finally, the host opened the door to a private gaming room, where Carson pulled out a chair at a small table by the observation window, then pulled open the heavy drapes so she could look out. A waiter rushed in with menus for Le Mirage, and opened a bottle of sparkling water for the couple. They took a minute and ordered coffee and pastries, then were left to their own devices.

  Sienna took in the man-made beauty outside the window, her eyes wandering over the neighboring hotels and their opulent, perhaps ostentatious, displays. Taken with the water shooting into the air from the fountain directly across from their window seat, the stillness of the room caught up with her, and she suddenly felt nervous. Should she bring up last night? As it turned out, she didn’t have to.

  Carson took her hand in his, turning it over and running a finger around her palm. “Listen, I never really like spending the night with anyone, so when you asked me to leave last night, I did. Then I got back to my hotel, and I realized I made a mistake. I wanted to stay with you even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I should’ve insisted on staying, Sienna. I don’t think it was very considerate of me to leave, especially after what we shared, and I was a fool. I’m sorry.” He brought his other hand up to wrap her delicate hand in both of his.

  She shook her head. “You don’t need to apologize. I understand. I wasn’t sure what to do when we were done, and so I chose the easy way out. I felt a little lonely with you gone. Actually, a lot. You and I both know it was for the best, though, right? Where can all this go? Last night was really great, but I don’t think it’s wise for us to get too attached,” she said, no clue where the false confidence was coming from.

  “I disagree. I went along with you asking me to go last night. I thought maybe that was what I wanted, too. But what I’m saying is that felt all wrong after what I did. You may be inexperienced, Sienna, but I’m figuring out things just like you are. Now I realize that leaving was wrong, and the truth is, I want to get a little attached. Know you. The real you.”

  Red flag, red flag!

  Sienna wanted to run, but she didn’t move. She only stared at the man across from her. “But my life is crazy. I’m a stripper. I dance all night, get caught up during the day, and do it all over again. You don’t live here, and I really don’t like to travel. I just don’t see how this can go far,” she said, trying to gently salvage her precious memory from the night before.

  Carson gave her a half smile. “Well, lucky for you, I travel, don’t require much sleep, and enjoy watching you dance. And I like spending time alone with you even more.”

  I’m completely and royally screwed.

  CARSON HAD no idea where all the sincerity was coming from. He’d literally never spoken words like those before in his whole life.

  Boy, I changed my tune since the last time we had coffee.

  Even worse, he could detect a small amount of panic in Sienna’s face as he kept sharing his thoughts of their making a go of whatever this was. He knew she liked him, so what the hell was with the little look of fear? Was it leftover embarrassment from the night before? Perhaps, the paparazzi scaring her off? Or something altogether different, as in someone else?

  He didn’t fucking know, but he did want to know why. And he wanted to know her, all of her, and he was going to no matter what. His head and dick were in agreement at the moment, and they both wanted more now. It was a heady combination he’d never experienced before, yet for some reason, he was going to run with it.

  Sienna had barriers, obviously, but he was going to break them down. He was in the middle of telling her how he would make this work, how he would do the work and it would fall on him, all while her phone kept dinging with text messages.

  In his experience, that was never a good thing. It must be urgent the way the phone kept dinging repeatedly.

  “Go ahead. Get it,” he said to a shell-shocked Sienna, who currently had both of her hands in his, her fingernails digging into his flesh. He knew she didn’t realize how tight she was gripping him.

  She pulled her hands away to reach for her phone, and swept her delicate finger across the screen. Without realizing it, Sienna read the texts aloud as she went down the list of missed ones.

  Asher: YOU spotted in parking area of Palace?!?!? WTF, Sie? I’m sick.

  Mike: 25 different people tweeted & posted about you being on Strip. Were you going to tell me? Is your man with you?

  Asher: Paps posted exactly where you are! Mike’s been eyeing Cowboy Sam. He’s staying down the Strip. Heading your way. Do not move. Wait for Mike.

  Mike: Stay put, Sienna. Trailing the cowboy. Wait for instructions to meet Petey out back.

  Carson’s thoughts whirled. Who was Cowboy Sam? The reason why Sienna wouldn’t get close? He rubbed his palms over each other, feeling the tiny nail marks his woman had left there. Shoving jealous thoughts to the back of his head, he reached across and held Sienna’s hand while she read through the texts one more time.

  Geez. What the fuck was going on? He was pretty sure he just got himself involved in a situation, and not the good kind.

  Just as Carson was about to ask Sienna exactly what he could do, the damn waiter walked in with their coffee. Carson gave him a quick nod and word of thanks, and made it clear they wanted their privacy.

  “Sienna, what’s going on, babe? I imagine you deal with paparazzi from time to time. This can’t be unusual, but who is this Sam guy you keep mentioning? Is he bad? Did he hurt you?” He slid his chair catty-corner to hers, and moved his entire body closer so he could absorb the nerves and anxiety rolling off her.

  Sienna was visibly flustered, obviously not wanting to answer. She waved a dismissive hand and said, “He’s no big deal, some crazy fan or something. He’s the guy who rushed the stage last week. Mike has it under control.”

  Carson could tell it was all a put-on, an act. He was ex-FBI; did she really think she could fool him? He didn’t want to stress her out any more than she already was, so he let her think he bought the nonchalant act. He motioned to pay the tab, so he’d be ready to let some other dude come and rescue them.

  He was capable of watching over Sienna and getting her out of there safely, if she’d only told him what the hell was going on, but he was stuck waiting on Petey. He knew without a doubt that Sienna wouldn’t ignore Mike and Asher’s instructions.

  Sienna went quiet, obviously in her head, so Carson let her stay there while keeping a hold of her hand and rubbing her thigh up and down with his free one. She didn’t even notice he was touching her. How could she?

  After all, he was in his own head, devising a plan for him to gain control. He thought those guys were nice enough, but if he wa
s going to date Sienna, he was quite capable of being in charge of keeping her safe.

  He was a big, bad boy, too. No one was going to outsmart Carson in taking care of Sienna, once he had all the facts. He knew better than to ask Sienna for more details. She was totally clammed up at the moment.

  But he had an idea, though. Carson decided to pal up to Mike later at the club under the premise of thanking him for taking such good care of Sienna. Just two guys sharing a beer, and he would make Mike tell him what he needed to know. He didn’t leave his interrogation skills along with his badge when he left the Bureau.

  Carson continued to caress Sienna’s leg, warming the goose bumps that kept rising to the surface, while he worked this all out in his mind. Sienna, he was certain, was crafting all kinds of excuses for what was actually happening.

  That’s okay, I’m going to circumvent all this bullshit.

  Within ten minutes, Petey texted to let Sienna know he was out back. Carson didn’t let go of Sienna’s hand as they walked out of the private gaming room and straight to the emergency exit at the far end of the casino. He took notice she didn’t even try to let go, either. She was scared.

  He didn’t need to feel her pulse racing to know she was fighting a fright-versus-flight reflex, he could see it in her eyes, and feel it in the way she alternated gripping his hand in a death grip and fully releasing his fingers.

  He wished he could let her know that staying close to him was the smart choice, but then Petey was there as promised in a black SUV with blacked-out windows. Carson opened the back door for Sienna and she got in, then slid over, making room for him to get into the seat next to her.

  As soon as he was in the backseat, Carson made a point of staring Petey down in the rearview mirror. This was his date with his woman, and he was going to see her through this, no matter who was driving the damn car. Petey might have picked Carson and Sienna up, but she was on a date with Carson. End of story. He’d pick his car up later.

  With traffic, they were at the Tunnel within fifteen minutes. Sienna was in her dressing room approximately two minutes later with her door locked.

  It looked like he wasn’t going to have to wait until later to feel out Mike, since they were both standing like two chumps outside her door, effectively locked out.

  Carson leaned one shoulder into her door in feigned defeat. “Hey, want to go grab a drink and let her shake the mood off?” he asked Mike. “I could stand to unwind a little after that scene. It would be a load off if you joined me.” He held his hand out to the club, motioning for the big dude to lead the way, surrendering control and already playing his part.

  Mike shrugged. “Yeah, all right, man. One beer, because I got to work tonight.”

  “I got ya,” Carson answered. He spoke bouncer.

  Taking a sip of his draft beer at the bar a few minutes later, Carson said, “Shit, that was something today. When the paps saw us, I didn’t think it would be such a big deal.”

  “Man, it normally isn’t,” Mike said as he stared into his beer. “Then again, I usually go to the Strip with Sie. I know most of the valets and casino hosts, so I’m able to get her in and out relatively unnoticed. Pulling up front with you like a tourist got her busted.”

  Dude isn’t going to be as easy as I thought to crack.

  “Fuck, that was all me, man. I wanted to show her a nice afternoon.” He fell on his sword when he lowered his head and stared into his beer. Boy, he could act.

  Mike slid him a sideways glance. “Look, I like you, dude. I love Sienna, though. She’s got no one but us here at the club, and we got to keep her safe. We’ve been wanting her to branch out, make a life for herself, so I was fucking all for her getting to know you. But you gotta know, she comes from something bad. We’re not going to let that touch her ever again. You gotta respect the protocols we have in place for her, my friend.” Mike leaned back and stretched his arms overhead, trying to intimidate. Obviously, the young bouncer could act, too.

  Carson nodded, feeling appropriately chastised. “I got ya. I like her. At first, I wasn’t sure it was anything more than a little lust, you gotta know what I mean, with her on that stage every night. Now I’m into her onstage and off. Fuck, listen to me, talking like I have a pussy. I get you have rules, but I don’t know anything about what Sienna comes from. What do you mean, bad?”

  Mike lowered his massive arms and crossed them in front of his chest. “Buddy, I don’t know much, that’s Sie’s story to tell. She just showed up here about seven years ago, and Asher took her under his wing. He helped her make a new life. It was clear she was never going back to wherever she came from, no fucking way, but that’s all I know. We take care of her, and we’ll never stop.”

  Carson nodded. “I get it. She’s precious. What’s with this Sam dude? Could he be an ex or someone from her past? Or is he just a crazy fan? Have you checked him out?” He fired off questions as he made a mental note to look into Sienna’s past. He could call in a favor for that.

  Mike took a swig of his beer, then shook his head. “We don’t know what the deal is with this Sam guy. Sam Charles, from Jersey. He rushed the stage last week, then showed up outside Asher’s house before he and Sienna left for Red Rock.”

  “What?” Carson was raging with jealousy, which he knew was unfounded, and anger, which was unwarranted. “She didn’t say that to me. What did he want?” He stood up, his back against the bar and mimicked Mike’s posture, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Yeah. He was parked a couple houses down with eyeballs on the two of them. Ash clocked him right away, and I ran him out of town. Been watching the asshole since he got back in last night. He’s staying on the Strip. The dude even had the nerve to ask the concierge to call and get a Samuel Smith on the list here. I was gonna question him tonight when he tried to get in under a different name, but then Sienna turned up on the Strip, bringing him out to see her. I had to shut him down. I’m not sure whether he’ll show tonight.”

  “Where’s he staying?” Carson spit out. “I want to check him out. What could he want?”

  “We don’t know,” Mike admitted as he tugged at the corner of the damp label on his beer bottle. “Sienna mentioned it was her past catching up with her, but I think he’s a fan. A crazy fucking one.” Then he shook his head in disgust, lifted the bottle, and downed the last of his beer.

  Carson’s instincts were screaming at him. “You want me to look into the guy? I could call my buddies over at the Bureau and do a little scouting myself.” He didn’t really need permission. He’d already decided his next move would be to step outside for privacy and make some calls.

  “Nah,” Mike said. “My guess is this guy isn’t worth the trouble of calling the Feds. Sienna is just all panicked, but this yahoo is a fan gone wrong. We’re gonna deal with him.” Then he got up, slapped Carson on the back, and headed back to work.

  Carson nodded, but he had no intention of letting this go. It was in his DNA to get to the bottom of things.

  Since he solved his first case, finding his own runaway mom when he was nineteen years old, he did nothing but make sure to tie up loose ends on every job. When he uncovered his mother, he didn’t even go talk to her. He knew all he needed to know from his investigation. She’d been remarried for a decade to a wealthy slumlord. They had two kids she drove to extracurricular activities, and spent time volunteering at their schools. None of her friends or neighbors knew about her past. It was an open-and-shut case. She wanted a life with more money and no responsibility other than bake sales. She left him and his blue-collar dad, and never looked back.

  With that information in hand, Carson had returned to college after the spring break he’d spent on his investigation, and added forensic psychology to his course load. He knew then and there he was heading to the FBI. Finding missing people, uncovering the facts surrounding their disappearance, allowing others to close chapters of their lives, this was his greatest mission in life.

  He solved some of the bigges
t missing-person cases for the FBI, from the missing sixteen-year-old girl in the Midwest, to the one right before he got out, where he found and turned in the biggest white-collar criminal to date, the one who’d stolen billions from his clients.

  This was who he was, and he wasn’t going to let a little slime-ball fan torture Sienna, nor was he going to walk around with his thumb up his ass not knowing what her fucking deal was.

  Carson ran his hand through his hair and stopped at his neck, massaging to ease the tension a notch. Of all the women in the world, he had to make a run for one who needed FBI vetting. Christ, he was a dumb fuck.

  That was what he told himself as he walked out to his car to make a few calls before going back into the club for the night.

  SIENNA LOCKED her dressing room door as soon as she got back to the club. So what if Carson or Mike or Ash are mad? Let them be mad all they want.

  She knew they were all going to argue with her over being out on the Strip without a security detail, but Carson was able to do that, right? Carson didn’t know all the facts, but that shouldn’t make a difference. He could keep the crazies away.

  She was never going to tell Carson the truth, so it was a worthless argument. Actually, Mike was in the dark, and he loved her unconditionally without knowing every detail of her past. He’d never let anything happen to her, so it was safe to assume she could be safe with Carson without him being completely in the know.

  Yet she didn’t have time to dwell on all the men in her life because one man, Sam Charles, was insistent on turning her life upside down. She’d made such a great life as Sienna Flower, and now she had to consider her options all over again. She was fairly certain she’d been discovered and revealed to Elon, so she needed a new plan. A new life, which was hard to digest because she loved her life as a stripper.