by Amy Redwood
Her leg brushed against his thigh, and her eyes sparkled from the ride, sparkled with something else. He pulled away. Damn, what was he doing? “Let’s take the elevator down.” His voice was rough, and he hoped his hard-on would go down, too, when his feet were back on solid ground.
Chapter Three
The sun had set, and Vegas had switched on every available light bulb in its quest to outshine the sky. There wasn’t a single star to be seen, only a blood-red half moon rising from the east. But the brightest spark was Suzie. Her wide smile was contagious. Brian found himself smiling back; he couldn’t help it. As long as his thoughts stayed away from her without clothes, he was fine. He just had to stay focused and keep his imagination in check. She’d taken his hand again in the elevator on their way down. He wanted to shake her, but he couldn’t do it. Anyway, it was just a friendly gesture. It was all right.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said, taking long strides next to him. “It was incredible. I’m a bit hoarse now, though.”
Her voice was just fine. He would buy any product as long as she read the ad to him with her slightly raspy, breathy voice. He fell into step with her, aware of how easily their strides matched. “While you screamed, my life flashed in front of my eyes.”
“Your life?” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. “I’m sure you had a good time then. Is it true that you sleep with your secretary? I read about that somewhere.”
He stared at her, not sure if he’d heard correctly. “My personal assistant is six foot something and shaves each morning. Also, he’s married.”
“I was just checking,” she said, chuckling. “Doesn’t every CEO employ a perky secretary to do his bidding?”
“That question is borderline politically incorrect. Believe it or not, I’ve something like work ethics.” She still snickered, and he was hit with the idea of Suzie with her hair tied up in a knot, dark-rimmed glasses on her nose, wearing a sensible skirt and blouse, sitting on his desk. The image was almost worse than thinking about her naked. “You said you’ve finished you studies. What are you planning to do now?”
“I’ve just accepted an offer for a junior software engineer position. Start is next month. Can’t wait, the people there are great, and…”
He listened, astonished to hear so much enthusiasm out of her voice, and when she mentioned the name of the company, he smiled, because she would work for his competition. So much for sitting on his desk. “Sounds fantastic,” he said, when she had run out of steam. “What do you want to do next?” He walked next to her along the strip, doing his best to hold her hand in a purely friendly, non-sexual manner.
“Well, I really should try my hand at luck.”
He laughed. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’re a gambler?”
“I only gamble when the odds are on my side.”
“They never are,” he said, pulling her farther away from the hucksters giving out flyers. She took one anyway and studied it.
“Interested?” she asked with a laugh, holding the ad under his nose.
He took the flyer. The girl on it had her legs spread, wore a red thong, and two yellow stars barely covered her nipples. “No, I'm not interested.” He tossed the flyer to the ground where already dozens of other ads had come to a rest. The girl on the flyer couldn’t compete against Suzie when in came to titillation.
“The odds are always on my side. I tend to have luck,” she said, pulling him along into a casino. Inside, crowds gathered around the velvet roulette tables, and thick cigarette smoke hung over the blackjack tables. She nodded to the slot machines. “I'm all for quick and cheap fun.”
“Wait here.” He left her in front of the slots, and went to get chips. When he returned, he pressed the bucket he got from the cashier into her hands. “Here, twenty-five one dollar token. I'll bet you, you won't win a single time.”
She took a coin, saying, “Sure I'll win.”
He watched her play, spin after spin, but the machine failed to show three hearts in a row. And with every loss, her smile faded a little more. When she had the last coin between her fingers, he wished with all his heart that the machine would let her win, so he could see her laugh again.
“I lost,” she said, sounding defeated, after the last spin showed heart, horseshoe, and bell. She looked up at him, frowning. “You were right.”
“Bad luck in game, good luck…somewhere else,” he said, almost wishing her luck in love, making him realize that she wasn't in Vegas with friends or a significant other, but alone. He didn’t count. Why was she all alone on her birthday? “How do you usually spend your birthdays?”
“Ah, at home, you know, a quiet evening. I'm not much of a party girl.”
Something in her voice was off, as was the look from under her dark lashes at him, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He had the weird feeling that she tested him, which was, well, ridiculous. “Do you still live with Randall?”
She gave him a somewhat exasperated look out of her hazel eyes. “Sure, I'm still in my old room, playing with my dolls.” She smacked his chest. “I've a great view from my apartment downtown.”
“And you live alone?”
“Not quite. There's Pete,” she answered, sliding off the chair where she'd sat. “Let's leave this unfortunate casino.” Her eyes sparkled and she gave him a wide smile.
Pete? He followed her, taking her hand, relieved that she wasn’t sulking about her loss anymore. “And Pete would be…?”
“The only guy sleeping on a daily basis in my bed.”
That shut him up for a moment, until he exhaled audibly, feeling stupid for the chill she'd sent into his bones. “Pete isn't a man,” he said.
“He's my red tomcat. Always great company. Warm, cuddly, never answers back. Guys like him are hard to find.”
“And I’m sure he will never leave you.” It shouldn’t have made him happy that she was single, but it did.
"When I'm away, he's happy enough with my neighbor feeding him." Suzie laughed. “What about you?” she asked with a smirk, “any felines in your bed?”
Not lately. “I’m not home much. And when I am, I prefer to be alone.”
“I hate to be alone,” she said, her voice suddenly small, and so different that he stopped to look at her face.
She returned his gaze, her cheekbones more prominent as if she bit on her teeth, and he didn’t know if he imagined it, but the expression in her eyes was so forlorn, it almost broke his heart. He tugged a stray curl behind her ear, lingering a moment too long. “I can’t believe there could be anyone who would want to leave you,” he said, tilting up her chin. The wish to kiss her was so strong, he leaned closer.
Someone shoved him in the back, and he stumbled forward and into Suzie. Her eyes lit up as he grabbed her shoulder for support. She winked, her eyes blazing with laughter again. “Careful, bachelorette party coming through.” She drew him out of the way of a large group of giggling women, all of them wearing black dresses. The exception was the girl wearing a red dress that barely covered her ass, a white veil askew on her head, and she sung at the top of her lungs “Hit me with your rhythm stick.”
“Charming,” he said, and stepped behind Suzie, because the bride-to-be eyed him with too much alcohol infused interest. “Hope they find a stripper soon.” He brushed through his hair, glad that the women had saved him from making a mistake. That was the second time he’d almost kissed Suzie.
“Don’t you want to kiss the bride?” She stepped to the side, and pushed him forward. “No? Okay, then let’s have a few drinks somewhere.” She skipped on without him then looked over her shoulder. “Come on. I’ll buy you a drink so you can toast to my birthday.”
Brian returned her smile. Sure, he would toast to her birthday. Wait a minute…Drinks? With Suzie? I don’t think so. Reduced inhibitions wasn’t on his list right now. Not until he got rid of her first. “Suzie, there’s no way you can get me in a bar—”
But she wasn’t even listening. She walked o
n, ignoring him, and he quickly followed. It was that or lose her in the never-ending stream of people crowding the streets. His hand was colder without hers, strangely empty, and he sped up to catch her. She was fast, and he walked two steps behind her, his gaze plastered on her rear end. He bumped into her when she suddenly stopped.
“Hey, watch it,” she said, laughing. “Let’s go in here.” She pushed the door open to a funky, blue and pink lit bar.
His heart missed a beat. The Blues Lounge. Hell. From all the bars in Vegas, she had to c hose the one where he dated the blonde later? He checked his watch. Less than two hours until eleven. Still plenty of time to buy Suzie a soda and then send her off to bed. Naked. Writhing under the sheets, no one to touch her smooth dark skin, but maybe she would be touching herself… He closed his eyes, fighting the images, shaking his head.
She was Randall’s little sister for heaven’s sake. He had known her since she was a child.
No. That’s not true. He only thought he knew her that well. He knew her mostly from the stories her brother had told him. How Randall had bought her a bike and she had broken her arm; how she drove him mad with her stubbornness; how he had to bring her to a hospital because she was so sick from eating too many sweets; how much trouble her attitude gave her in school.
Poor Randall. Obviously Suzie had always suffered from an excess of energy. He grinned. His clearest memory of her as a child was when she had tried to kiss him. Before that, he couldn’t quite remember what she’d been like, they hadn’t even talked. She’d been Randall’s little sister, nothing more.
Yes, he hardly knew her, and it would be perfectly all right if he would take her back to his hotel— “Man, I’m a jerk,” he said, groaning. “I’m actually talking myself into hitting on her.” He shook his head, pushing the door of the bar open. He wouldn’t betray Randall’s trust by fucking his little sister.
Anyway, she wasn’t even aware what signals she sent out to him when she held his hand, showing off her legs in that short skirt. She couldn’t know what her teasing did to him. She’s a sweet girl. He wouldn’t…couldn’t take advantage.
He walked into the bar and immediately found Suzie. She was hard to miss. She already had the bartender’s undivided attention—he was mixing her a drink, his smile entirely too enthusiastic. She leaned against the bar, swinging with all her curves in the right places to the slow background beat. He crossed the room, leaned next to her against the bar, and resisted the urge to place an arm around her shoulders.
The bartender shot him a calculating look as he handed Suzie her drink. “It’s a new creation, I call it Black Cat. You inspired me,” he said to her.
Suzie sipped at her drink, and then gave the bartender a smile. “Love it, thanks.” Her wide mouth quirked in amusement.
Brian rolled his eyes. Black Cat, right. Clearly, she enjoyed attention, but the bartender stared at her as if undressing her mentally. Though he couldn’t blame the guy, he didn’t like it. And he was sure Randall wouldn’t like it either.
He wrapped his arm around Suzie’s waist, hoping the bartender would take the hint and leave her alone. Too late he spotted the mistake he’d made. She snuggled, warm and soft, closer to his side. He closed his eyes for a second as he caught the scent of her perfume. Feeling bad for enjoying her, he wanted to put more distance between them, then drew her a bit closer. Surely, she wouldn’t notice.
She turned in his arm and faced him. “What do you want?”
What I want? “You mean to drink?”
“What else would I mean?” She laughed. “Try.” She held the cocktail glass to his lips and forced him to drink.
Creamy, rich liquor with a sharp mint kick rolled over his tongue. The drink tasted like he imagined she would if he pushed her black panties down her ankles and licked his way up her coffee thighs, licked into her wet—
“Whiskey, straight up,” he said to the bartender. When his drink came, he closed his hand around the glass as if it were a ship’s rescue ring. His cock pressed painfully against his jeans, and he shifted slightly. Suzie sipped her drink, observing him over the rim of her glass, and he was glad she couldn’t read his mind.
“To your birthday, Suzie.” One drink then I’m out of here.
She threw her head back and stuck her chin out. “You will call me Susannah.”
He grinned because she sounded so threatening. “I’ve always known you as Suzie, why should I switch now?”
“I’ve told you, no one calls me Suzie.”
“Randall calls you Suzie.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, and he swallowed, because she looked ready to kill. She leaned closer, her breast brushing against him and he stopped breathing. “Brian, you are not my brother.” She murmured something he couldn’t catch. She nipped into the cocktail, a slight frown on her forehead.
He exhaled, now really desperate to get out of the bar. He couldn’t handle Suzie in his arm much longer. He cleared his throat. “I told you, I’ve an important meeting tomorrow morning. Why don’t you drink up, and I’ll bring you to—“
“What do you do when you’re not working?” she interrupted him. “What do you do for fun?”
The blonde later. “My job’s fun enough,” he answered, puzzled by her change of topic. He frowned, thinking over what he’d just said. It wasn’t true. Lately it was a pain to get up in the morning, and he missed the energy he’d always put into his business. On some days, he felt drained. Why, he didn’t know because he had everything he ever wanted and more. “I like what I do, always have. I don’t need anything else.” He was sure the only way out of this state was to push himself harder. He’d his company to run, he would come around eventually. “Work is my life.”
She raised one eyebrow. “I’m sure there are activities you like doing besides working.” Her voice was ever so slightly suggestive as she pressed closer into his arm.
The implication wasn’t lost on him, and he considered that she wasn’t such a sweet girl after all, yet he didn’t think with his brain anymore so he might be mistaken. Her sultry voice drove him nuts. He better come up with something to shut her up.
“Nope, there’s nothing,” he said as she clasped her hand over his on her waist. She slid his fingers down to her hipbone, which fit perfectly beneath his curved palm. He could feel her hips rolling to the music. This surely qualified as torture. He groaned, wondering what he’d done to get such bad karma.
“Nothing?” She smiled, her eyes locking into his. “You don’t like movies or, say, like to read in bed?”
He cursed Randall from the bottom of his heart and withdrew his arm from her waist. “Well, I used to like scuba diving, but I’ve no time for that anymore.”
“Oh, scuba diving,” she said, and he watched her face light up, her eyes shining with energy. “I’ve always wanted to do that. It must be way cool, floating under water, seeing reef fishes…”
He listened to her colorful descriptions until he was almost under water. “It really is great,” he said after a moment. “You’re all weightless, and fish swim so close up that you can tickle their belly. Sometimes you see a shark swimming around you, so graceful amid the reef, it makes your heart race. When you dive up, you’re happy to be alive, but the next day, you go diving again. It’s addictive…” When was the last time he had done something just for fun? He’d spent a month at the Red Sea in Egypt, learning how to dive. One of the best times he’d ever had. “My last vacation was ten years ago.”
She shook her head. “I hope the people working for you are allowed to have a vacation once a year. Obviously, you deem yourself too important to take time off.”
“No, that’s not it.” Her taunt shouldn’t bother him, but curiously, it did. “You don’t understand how much work being a CEO is.” He was responsible for so many people…what did she know about that?
“Work hard, play hard.” She drank from her cocktail. “If you’re short of ideas, you can always come to me.” She moistened her bottom lip with a
flick of her tongue, and he wondered how many men she had kissed, how many she had allowed to touch her, how many she had slept with, and how realistic it was that the number was zero.
“If I make a wrong step, the whole industry knows it.” He looked at her slightly parted lips. She was twenty-five—quite possibly, she’d done other things with her mouth besides kissing. How would it feel to have her slide on top of him, her tongue flicking down his groin, teasing him? “I don’t have time to play.”
She gave him a long hard look. “Nobody is that important. You’re one self-important ass.”
“What?” He stared at her and couldn’t remember the last time when someone had spoken to him that blunt. “I’m a self-important ass?”
“Yes, you are.” She rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you take two weeks off and go diving?”
“Because I’m too—” He swallowed important just in time. Of course, theoretically, he could do it. He owned the company. They might survive a few weeks without him. Still, he couldn’t do it because it wasn’t that simple. Or was it? He gazed at her, drowning in her eyes, a strange longing in his heart.
“Live a little.” She winked, a gesture both sexy and playful. “Have some fun.”
“Fun,” he said quietly, and took a sip from his whiskey. Hell, yes. I know what would be fun. It would be fun watching her diving into the sea, seeing her swimming next to him, looking at her curves under a wet suit. And it would be more than fun to peel the wet suit off her body, kissing her mouth, licking white salt of her dark skin—
“Hi, Brian,” a cool voice said behind him. He snapped around. Fuck. It was the blonde.
* * * * *
Susannah’s stomach dropped to her knees. That’s his type? Brian had excused himself and drawn the woman out of earshot. They stood a few feet away, and she watched them without pretending to do otherwise. If that skinny blonde chick was his type then she was toast. She couldn’t see Brian’s expression, only his back, but she had a good view of the blonde’s eager-to-please face as she listened to him. Fuck. Maybe he couldn’t see what the blonde advertised in her eyes. Maybe he could.