Vice

by Rosanna Leo

  “Did you ever see Shauna again?”

  “Only once,” Liam said quietly. “In my early twenties. I was back on track, done with college and apprenticed at a building firm. I got a call from a lawyer one day, telling me Shauna was in poor health, cancer, and that she wanted to see me.”

  She looked up. “Did you go?”

  “I wanted to tell him to fuck himself and to give her the same message. But I guess I was curious. What could she possibly want with me? As much as I despised her, I knew it would always bother me if I didn’t go. So I swallowed my feelings and visited her.” He closed his eyes for a moment as he remembered the scene. “It was strange to see her, looking so small, in a hospital gown. She’d always been a stunner before. When she saw me, she began to cry. Nothing surprised me more than to learn the ice queen had emotions after all.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She apologized. Told me God had cursed her for her cruelty by making her barren. She never had that family she wanted so badly. And after a few years of trying, her wealthy husband paid her off and divorced her.” He took a few deep breaths. “Shauna handed me a fat envelope filled with money. Said it was her divorce settlement, that she’d never touched it. She wanted me to have it. Because she hadn’t supported me in life, she wanted to die knowing she was finally supporting me.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “No, it’s awful, Kate. Because you know what I did? I took it! I took her blood money and I left. I invested it, and the next year I began plans for my first casino. Shauna’s money paid for my business. And I think I’ve been sick about it ever since.”

  Waves of nausea and guilt poured over him. For a moment, Liam thought he’d have to toss Kate onto the bed so he could run into the bathroom and hurl his self-loathing into the bowl. He bit back his feelings, as he’d been doing so effectively for years, and managed to keep it all down.

  He must have still looked sick because Kate ran her hand up and down his back, rubbing and soothing his muscles. Perfect. The idea of her seeing him at his worst was as appealing as a vomit popsicle.

  Kate massaged the top of his shoulder. “Liam, you did nothing wrong in accepting the money. She wanted to make amends, and I guess it was the only way she could do so.”

  “Some days I feel like my business is built on a foundation of shame.”

  “It’s not. You built up your business. You are the success behind it, no one else. Plenty of people in your shoes would have climbed into a hole and died. But you turned your life around, Liam Doyle. You became a success. You should be proud.”

  He grinned, no longer feeling like a helpless kid. “You know the reason I decided to build casinos is because of the money they make. I wanted to know that if I ever had a family, they’d want for nothing. So I studied the competition and recognized a lot of gaps in the market. I tailored my properties to cater to those gaps. Now I can’t keep people away. But does it make me happy? I don’t know anymore.”

  She grabbed his hand and drew whorls on his palm. “Well, despite how I feel about casinos, I’m woman enough to admit you’ve created amazing hotels. The best on the Strip.”

  “The best on the Strip. That meant something to me a few years ago. But now? Who the hell knows? Kate, since I opened Vice, I just haven’t been myself. I haven’t been motivated. And I’m sick to death thinking I might end up being the failure she always knew I’d be.” He rubbed his chest, trying to erase the pains that always seemed present.

  “There’s nothing about you that says failure to me. You are an amazing man,” she said, sighing. “And I want you so much it makes me crazy.”

  To hear her say the words almost erased all his pain. The flood of emotion made his cock throb. He had to have her again. Now.

  “Liam, you have to tell me about your time on the streets. I won’t stop wondering and worrying.”

  Raw need suppressed his sigh of frustration. “Just let it go, Kate.”

  “But…”

  “No buts. You know everything that’s fit to print.” He reached for the tie on her robe, untied it, and removed the garment. He gazed at her beautiful body, the gorgeous curves which provided him with the best solace he’d ever known. He removed his own robe. “Just let me be with you. That’s all I want right now.”

  She stared at him, her face crinkled with uncertainty, but she lay back on the bed and held out her hand.

  Liam situated himself between her comforting thighs, and together they forgot the world.

  Liam shut the suite door after accepting the tray of room service breakfast he’d ordered. She huddled on the couch, wrapped in her robe, and grinned at him as he brought it inside. “I’ve never been so happy to see a tray of food,” she admitted. “I’m starving because of how you’ve used my body all night long.”

  He didn’t say a word but offered her a heated look and deposited the tray on a table.

  She tightened her robe and tripped over to the table, her bare feet loving the feel of the thick carpet. She moved next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hungry?”

  His grin didn’t reach his eyes. “I guess.”

  “You should be. I know I worked up an appetite.”

  Again, he said nothing, turning instead to the television in the corner. The morning news was on, but he stared at the report as if he wasn’t absorbing a word.

  Kate eyed him. He’d been strangely quiet this morning. She feared their talk had scared him off a little. He’d still been affectionate upon waking, holding her close, kissing her as if she were a fragile doll. To see him retreat now scared her more than she cared to admit, and she felt the need to coax him back out of his shell, if she could.

  Their talk had scared her, as well. Her dream last night had been colored with images of abandoned children and life on the streets. What had happened to him out there? She knew the question would continue to plague her.

  She lifted the lid to the tray and took in the incredible smell of bacon and eggs. Liam watched her and a dark gleam lit up his eyes, like a tiger preparing for the kill. She picked up a piece of bacon, held it to his mouth, and he bit off a piece.

  “Liam,” she said, wanting to make him feel better. “Are you okay?”

  He continued to watch her as he swallowed his bacon.

  “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

  “I don’t feel like talking.”

  Just as she suspected. After his confessions, he’d clammed up again. It had felt as if they’d broken down a wall and grown closer, but this morning she awoke to find he’d erected a higher one. She might have woken up with a different man altogether. After their breakthrough and an astounding night of pleasure, it seemed guarded Liam was back in control.

  Okay, maybe she should give him some space. He could share more when he was ready. But the neediness in his eyes told her he needed to express himself, more than he realized.

  “I’m here for you,” she said. “Last night you shared so much. I want you to know I didn’t take it for granted. Just don’t shut me out now.”

  He seemed to absorb her words at first, then his gaze dropped and he tugged at her robe tie, loosening it.

  “What are you doing?”

  He removed her robe and tossed it to the floor. “Stop talking, Kate.” His own robe soon followed.

  “Liam…”

  “You want to know what I need? What I want? I want you, hot and wet and ready for me. And I want it now.”

  “I don’t think we should…”

  He molded his hand around her breast and kissed her hard, as if to stop her from talking. She pulled away, surprised at his change in mood, but he held her face and took her mouth once again. His tongue plunged into her mouth, tasting of bacon and lust. Even though she hadn’t started out in the mood, her body responded and melted before him.

  His touch intensified as his hands
explored her. He tweaked her nipple hard. When she gasped, he swallowed her cry. When she moaned, he wrestled his hand between her legs and claimed her there. She didn’t want to be wet for him, but she couldn’t help herself and he knew it.

  He had taken control of her.

  Pulling back his hand, he moved her to the floor-to-ceiling window and turned her to face outward. She shied away, worried someone would see them.

  “One way glass,” he said as if reading her mind. “Now stay put.” He positioned her arms over her head so her palms rested on the window. He moved her hips toward him so her bottom stuck out. Before she could protest, not that she wanted to, he slid inside her.

  Kate cried out as he slammed into her again and again, feeling at the edge of a precipice with the Strip laid out before her. As he claimed her, as he forced them both into a state of orgasmic agony, she felt she might fall right through the window and down to the sidewalk below.

  She didn’t want this right now. But she did as well. Liam seemed to understand the addiction streaming through her veins, a need she couldn’t articulate.

  As she came with a shocked whisper, with a sense of violated awe, she marveled at the sway he held over her. His grunts of crazed satisfaction turned into blasphemous exclamations as he pulled out and shot on her behind.

  When he finished she looked over her shoulder, dizzy, and saw him reach for a cloth. He cleaned her up, his mouth tight, avoiding her eyes. The lines at the corners of his eyes had deepened to a sad crinkle.

  “Liam,” she began.

  “Have your breakfast,” he said, dropping a kiss on her shoulder. The bristles on his chin pricked her as his sudden coldness scored her heart. “I’m going to hit the shower.”

  He picked up his robe and walked into the bathroom, leaving her alone with the most expensive eggs and bacon on the Strip.

  “Again.” His demand, so hot on her ear, acted as food for her weirdly-famished body.

  “I don’t think I can.”

  One touch. One lick. “Yes, you can.”

  “Oh, God.”

  He slid between her legs, his thick erection throbbing. They’d been at it for hours, had watched night turn to day and back into night again. Since admitting his secret, Liam had been a machine. And as exhausted as she was, he’d managed to coax orgasm after orgasm out of her. She was barely doing any of the work at this point, just lying there while he teased her body into the pulsing, weeping mass of wetness he so craved.

  He thrust deep into her and her pussy welcomed him yet again, as much as her brain railed against such excess. “More. I want more.”

  “Liam, please, I can’t.”

  But then he hit that spot again and she cried out, making lies of her words. She began to fall apart on an incredulous shout.

  “That’s it, baby.” He drove her harder, taking his pleasure like a man obsessed. “Come for me. Oh fuck, that’s so good, Kate!” He let out a cry of his own and collapsed on top of her.

  They lay on the bed, drenched in each other’s sweat. She wasn’t sure how long they remained prone, but she felt each second plod by. Each passing minute left her more and more convinced he was drowning his sorrows in sex.

  Surely it couldn’t be healthy.

  He moved. She breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to finally have a few moments to sleep. He moved off her to discard the latest condom, and she closed her eyes. Once again, warm hands slid up her legs, parting them.

  “Open up for me.”

  “Liam, we should talk…”

  “No talk.” He pulled her close and threw her legs over his shoulders. His greedy tongue put a silky period on the end of his sentence.

  And once again, Kate could do nothing more but let him have her, as another terrifying orgasm swept her away.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Just a few drinks. I promise.” Liam ran his fingers up her bare arm and appraised her look for the evening. “Christ, you look gorgeous, Kate. I can’t wait to show you off.” He brought her over to the full-length mirror in her suite and made her look.

  She did, with hesitation, and marveled at the fantastic creature staring back. Liam’s assistant had reminded him of a charity obligation and he’d somehow convinced her to go with him. She wasn’t really sure what to expect at a Governor’s Ball for the local chapter of the Heart Association, and certainly didn’t have the wardrobe for it. However, during the last couple of days, Liam had taken care of everything, from finding her a beautiful gown in navy silk, to bringing in hair and makeup artists and jewelry.

  The makeup had been so carefully applied she couldn’t see her bruises. Her hair had been piled onto her head in an artful chignon. Liam seemed to like the up-do, and took advantage of the neck access it provided. He kissed the top of her spine and goose pimples exploded in a riotous dance over her skin.

  Despite her response to his touch, something felt off. She felt uncomfortable in an outfit paid for by Liam, the silk grated on her skin with each soft swish. She’d never been the sort to accept expensive gifts.

  To say nothing of the fact she’d rather stay in the suite and talk about what the hell was happening between them. She thought she’d made a major breakthrough with Liam, but so much had been left unsaid as well. Yes, he’d shared a lot and it had been emotional for both of them. However, if they were to move forward in any way, didn’t they need to keep talking?

  She’d tried to bring up the topic again this morning, but he’d brushed it off. Rather than talk about the past, he’d rolled on top of her and begun his very persuasive seduction routine, and she’d been unable to say no. When he kissed her, when he slid his hands between her legs, she couldn’t say no.

  He was using sex as a distraction, that much was clear. As eager as she was in bed with him, she couldn’t help feeling Liam evaded a lot of issues this way. It made her uncomfortable. It made her feel as if she’d fallen into bed with a different man, one whose appetites both excited and scared her.

  “I’ve never been to such a fancy event,” she said now.

  “Stick with me. You can have as much high society life as you want.” He cast an appreciative glance at the way her breasts swelled under the navy silk. “You look amazing in that color. I knew you would. We might have to take you shopping for more clothes.”

  “I don’t want any more clothes. I have clothes at home.”

  He frowned at the mention of her home. “I’d like to get you some special things. You know, for nights like this.”

  “I think I’d feel more at ease wearing jeans at Franky’s.” She wiggled her toes in her new stilettos, wincing at their tight pinch.

  “Me too, but I promised to make an appearance at this shindig ages ago.” He spun her around to look at him and struck a cheesy pose worthy of a Sears catalogue, letting his mischievous side reappear for a split second. “So, did I clean up good?”

  She smiled, surprised by how much she’d missed playful Liam. Intense Liam had his charms, but he wore her down. She touched a finger to the sleeve of his slick tuxedo, relishing the musculature underneath. “You’ll do nicely.” She felt more overcome by his beauty than by her own startling transformation.

  All too soon he turned serious. “You sure you’re okay to go out? My security team will be with us.”

  She couldn’t exactly say no now. He’d spent a billion dollars on her dress, from the looks of it. “Sure. We’ve got to go out some time. Maybe when we get back we can hang out and chat? I feel like we haven’t talked much the past few days. I miss it.”

  Liam tweaked her nose. “You’re cute. But way too serious. Just enjoy the ride, sugar.” He pulled her close, eyes narrowed with desire. “When we get back, my plans don’t involve chatting. They involve getting this dress off.” He brushed his thumb over her rouged lower lip, looking puzzled when the lipstick didn’t rub off.

  “It’s a stain
,” she explained. “The makeup artist said it wouldn’t come off unless I get mauled.”

  As he stared at her lips, his expression grew dark once more. With so much focused attention, her body responded in kind. “Well, I’ll maul you later and see if I can’t nibble the stain off.”

  After a few rushed kisses, they gathered up their things and left, making their way to the Escalade waiting out front. As they passed through the main hall, so close to the casino, Kate realized she didn’t hold her breath anymore while surrounded by the cigarette smoke. She’d become almost accustomed to it. The idea bothered her, though she said nothing to Liam.

  Once outside, she took note of the spot on the sidewalk where she’d conducted her protests. It seemed like an aeon ago. Where had that woman gone? She’d never been the sort of woman to play “dress up,” to fritter away her evenings at society events.

  Had she already forgotten who she was?

  Guilt made the acids in her stomach bubble and she swallowed a sudden bad taste. She had forgotten. And here she stood, dressed in a lavish gown bought by the man she’d thought she hated less than two weeks ago. If someone had told her then she’d be sleeping with Liam Doyle, she would have thought them unhinged.

  Maybe she was the unhinged one.

  She tried to ignore the gut-wrenching mea culpa sounding in her brain as they drove to the Governor’s Ball at the Venetian Hotel. She wondered how the fates had led her to be a guest at two casinos in the same week. After years of avoiding them like her own personal plague, she couldn’t seem to avoid them now.

  The atmosphere at the ball didn’t help. The conference room at the Venetian was stunning but someone, in their wisdom, had decided to make the evening’s theme “Monte Carlo Night.” Talk about redundant. Everywhere she looked she saw images of dice and poker chips and money signs.

  It was enough to make her hurl in her new sequined clutch.

  Several members of the press made a beeline for Liam the moment they entered the ballroom. He evaded them and steered Kate toward an unending table laden with all manner of sweets and fingers foods and a massive chocolate fountain. He picked up two small plates shaped like poker chips and handed one to her. She took it but put it back down on the table.