Was it really that easy? I pondered.
Was my sexuality just lingering under the surface, begging for any little spark to bring it to life?
Instead of feeling pathetic that I’d let a stripper basically give me CPR, I felt delighted in the fact that my sexuality was actually still alive.
I passed by a roulette table, with chattering, happy people surrounding it and smiled, heading straight towards it. I’d never gambled before in my life, but I quickly pulled some cash from my purse and thrusted it towards the attendant. He handed me a very large handful of chips and I stood there for a minute watching the others, before I followed along, putting a group of chips on the black square. We all stood back, watching as the man spun the wheel. The little ball spun round and round finally landing on a black number fifteen. He handed me more chips back than I put down and suddenly I was hooked.
I played again, and again, and again, until I was sliding a large pile of chips around on the table, watching it grow with increasing joy. The champagne kept flowing and before long I’d tripled the money I’d started with.
An hour later, I walked away from the table with a genuine, wide smile that radiated from deep inside of me. I stepped into a bar that opened up into the casino after cashing in my chips, stuffing the big wad of cash into my purse with glee. I sat at the end of the bar and ordered a drink, sinking into the plush velvet bar stool and looking around. The bar was crowded with customers, groups of people gathered together in booths, laughter bubbling up over the music.
“Is anyone sitting here?” A man asked to my left. I turned and smiled, shaking my head.
He nodded and sat down beside me. Almost handsome, with short blonde hair, his too-dark tan made his skin look a little leathery.
“Can I buy you another drink?” he asked.
I hesitated at first, but then I nodded, smiling politely. He definitely wasn’t my type, if I even had one, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy a drink with him.
“Thank you,” I said, reaching out my hand. “I’m Tillie.”
“Hello, Tillie, I’m Daniel.”
“Daniel, hello.”
“You here alone?” he asked, looking around.
“Yes, I went to a show earlier. Having a drink on the way back to my hotel.”
“How was it?” he asked, as he gestured to the bartender and ordered.
A pair of dark eyes flashed in my head, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my belly as I remembered the dancer, and I smiled a secret smile.
“It was great,” I said, smiling.
“I’m here with my wife,” he shrugged. “She got drunk earlier. Fell asleep in the room. Thought I’d come down and have a little fun without her.”
“Oh, I see,” I said, hoping he wasn’t intended to have ‘fun’ with me. The last thing I was interested in was a married man. But maybe that’s not what he meant, I thought. After all, he’d not said a word to make me think he had such intentions.
“Yeah,” he continued. “I did a little gambling. Slots. Didn’t win a thing, dammit.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” I replied. “I actually did quite well at roulette. It was my first time.”
“First time?” he asked. “Is that so? First time in Vegas?”
“It is, actually.”
“And you’re all alone?”
“Yes,” I said. “But is anyone ever really alone here? There’s so many people.”
“That’s true,” he replied, downing his drink. “So, what do you say?”
“Say about what?”
“About that fun? Where’s your room? Might as well end the night with a bang, if you catch my drift,” he winked.
“You just said you were married.”
“So, what?” he shrugged. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, am I right?”
“Oh, no,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m sorry. I’m not interested in that.”
“Oh, come on,” he said, leaning in so close I could smell the whiskey on his hot breath.
“No, thank you, really,” I insisted. “I don’t get involved with married men.”
“Involved?” he repeated, mockingly. “I just want to fuck. One night. Come on, Tillie, you won’t be disappointed, I can promise you that.”
“I said, no, thank you.”
He grabbed my arm, which took me completely by surprise, so much so that I just stared down at his fingers wrapped around my bicep like it was a snake.
“What are you —.”
“—I bought you a drink, bitch, you owe me!” He growled, pressing his crotch into my thigh. I attempted to pull my arm away but he was gripping it so firmly that I couldn’t.
“Let me go!” I exclaimed. He squeezed harder and my heart began pounding in my chest as I kept trying to pull away.
“Stop fighting, you know you want it,” he said, pulling me off the barstool.
“No!” I yelled, frantically trying to get the bartender’s attention, but he was turned away, completely oblivious to the fact that I was being assaulted. I was about to scream at the top of my lungs when another man, this one much larger, stepped up to us and grabbed the man’s hand on my arm and pulled it away roughly.
“Sounds to me like the lady isn’t interested, buddy,” he said, wedging himself between us. My eyes trailed up to his face and I gasped when I realized it was the dancer from earlier. The King of Dick, they’d called him.
Daniel squared off in front of him, glaring at him for a second before shaking his head and shrugging.
“Fine, you can fucking have her!” he slurred, and I quickly realized he was a lot more drunk than I’d realized. “She’s too old for me anyway, and probably a total ice queen in the sack.”
“Old!” I exclaimed, before lunging towards him. The dancer jumped between us again and winked at me, before quickly turning back to the guy.
“You shouldn’t have said that, asshole,” he said, rearing back and in a flash, he punched him, square in the face. The man dropped to the floor with a heavy thud, holding his jaw.
“Whoa!” I cried, staring at him in awe.
I shook my head as Daniel scrambled to his feet, and ran out of the bar grumbling.
“Oh, my God!” I said, turning back to the dancer. “Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure, ma’am,” he said, nodding as a sexy grin spread across his face. “Felt good to punch that fucker.”
His eyes were electric when I’d first seen them from the stage, but now they were on fire. Twinkling with mischief, he winked quickly.
“Are you okay?”
I swallowed hard, staring at his stunning beauty before realizing I was being rude.
“Yes, yes, I am. I’m Tillie,” I said, stretching a hand out to him.
“Richie,” he replied, shaking my hand. His huge hand engulfed mine hotly and a shudder of desire rocked through me.
“Good,” he nodded. “I hate dudes like that. Give the rest of us a bad name.”
“Aren’t you the guy from the show earlier? The dancer? The king of —.”
“Richie, the King of Dick at your service, ma’am,” he laughed, tipping an imaginary hat. I burst out laughing.
“Right, Richie. Got it. Great show, by the way,” I said.
“Thank you, ma’am, I appreciate that,” he replied, his eyes piercing mine, his smoldering smile making my stomach flip. “Well, be careful,” he sighed. “There’s a lot of assholes like him in this town.”
“I will, thanks again,” I said, nodding and smiling, wanting to say so much more, to offer him a drink, anything to keep him from walking away, but then — just like that — he turned away, leaving me alone in the crowd that seemed to be completely oblivious to anything having happened at all. I watched him leave and then turned away myself, grabbing my purse and slowly making my way outside to a find a taxi.
Back in my room, despite being shaken by the whole thing with Daniel, I kicked myself for letting Richie get away. A man like that was definitely someone I w
as interested in getting to know better. It wasn’t just his square jaw twitching with anger, or the flash of rage igniting in his midnight blue eyes, or even his disarming smile that hooked me, it was the way he’d stood up for me without a moment’s hesitation.
He’d stepped in and skillfully removed the threat, like protecting women was some kind of second nature for him, like some sexy stripper superhero.
My insides quivered as I remembered the sound of his fist slamming into Daniel’s jaw, the way his eyes wrinkled around the edges with concern when he asked if I was okay, the heat of his palm against mine when he’d shaken my hand.
It took forever to get to sleep, and it wasn’t until I reached down between my legs and found the release I so desperately craved that I could even breathe properly. Haunted by Richie’s grin, I finally fell asleep in the huge, soft bed all alone in reality, but wrapped in Richie’s python sized arms in my dreams.
CHAPTER 10
RICHIE
I walked away from the bar with stinging knuckles and the hardest cock I’d had in as long as I could remember. Something about the woman I’d just met knocked me right in the chest.
She wasn’t like most of the girls you see in Vegas.
She wasn’t wearing some flashy skin-tight dress that was so short you could see her panties, if she even had any on. No, she was dressed in a classy black leather jacket and sleek, tailored slacks, with sexy black suede heels and a silky, slightly low-cut, red blouse that left my imagination running wild.
She wasn’t some naive girl in her early twenties with way too much perfume and makeup on, and a hairstyle that matched her ‘squad’ that she kept glued to her side.
In fact, she wasn’t a girl at all. She was the most womanly woman I’d ever seen.
Alone, serious, almost somber, in fact…
I’d noticed her as soon as I hit the stage. My eyes went right to her and I even missed a step in my routine before I had to turn away in order to keep my shit together for the rest of the song. Loose, blonde curls bounced around her stunning face, framing her big flashing green eyes.
The fact that she was alone was not lost on me. That was another thing that made her stand out. Stealing another few peeks at her while I was dancing, I walked off stage with half a boner, which was something that never really happened on stage anymore, even on my best days.
I’d gone into the bar on the way home and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping she might be in there. I figured she wouldn’t, because if you’ll remember, I’m not the luckiest dude in the world. And nothing had gone my way lately, so in reality, the most I expected was a small tequila buzz before I made my way home for the evening.
But there she was.
Even more beautiful up close without the stage lights glaring in my eyes. When I saw her talking to some overly tan dude at the end of the bar, I figured I was simply too late.
But then he touched her. No, he grabbed her, like a complete and utter prick, in a way you should never grab a woman. I don’t know what came over me, honestly. I could have easily summoned the security guard by the entrance, but instead I took matters into my own hands.
It was easy, of course. I was twice as big as the asshole. And, yeah, punching him was overkill, I know. But, I couldn’t let him get away with that shit he’d said about Tillie, could I? What kind of man would that make me?
Besides, it felt good. Damned good. I needed that shit. A little drama, a touch of violence. I’d been so frustrated all day, hell, all week really, stressing out about the club and getting the loan, it felt good to take it out a little bit on a deserving motherfucker like him.
Of course, afterwards, I bombed big time.
If that had been Blaze or Fox, or even Daine, if he were straight, they would have already had that woman home in bed.
But instead, I blew it, like a total idiot.
I just walked away.
What the hell was that?
I lost all my game, as soon as I looked into Tillie’s pretty green eyes. There was something so different about her that I didn’t know what to do, or how to go about talking to a woman like her. She seemed regal, in a way.
Too beautiful for me. Too classy for me.
Too good for me.
I’d been shot down a lot lately, so maybe I just wasn’t ready for another blow. Either way, I went home without a buzz and without Tillie, and I felt like a total loser as I stumbled into bed.
I closed my eyes, letting the darkness lull me to sleep, Tillie’s grass-green eyes etched into my brain.
CHAPTER 11
TILLIE
The water was cool, bright blue, and sparkling in the sunlight as I entered the pool, the water engulfing my thighs and then my hips, until I was waist deep in the shallow end. I turned back to the house, smiling as a steady stream of cats of all shapes and sizes scurried from the open patio door, their tales held high, curled above their backs proudly.
I gestured for them to come closer, as they lined up at the side of the pool, watching me, until they were all present, lining up like a platoon of loyal soldiers waiting for my command. I walked closer to them, the water sliding between my thighs like a lover’s caress. Reaching up, I scratched the chin of the closest one, a big, black beauty with thick, sparkling fur that shone like onyx in the sunlight. He pressed his head into my palm, purring loudly.
The others broke rank, crowding around me, mewing and purring, fighting to get my attention. I rubbed the ears of a bright orange Tabby, his big green eyes wide and blinking.
Stepping back slowly, I watched as they swirled their slinky bodies around each other, winding together like a tangled rope of snakes. Lifting my arms above my head, I bowed to them, smiling, before quickly lowering my hands, inviting them into the water.
One by one, they jumped in, their bodies splashing through the surface and then bobbing back up, their fat paws pedaling under their bodies as they swam over to me, surrounding me as they swam around in a circle.
Playfully, I played with them, splashing them lightly with water and swimming around next to them. Blinding sunshine beat down on us, my face warming under its rays. Bending my knees, I dunked under the surface of the water, the water cooling my skin deliciously.
I stood back up, the water rolling off my face and hair as I opened my eyes.
They were gone…
Frantically, I looked around, searching for my cats, my heart pounding with fear, like a drum in my chest…
I woke in a panic in my hotel bed, my breath shallow, my heart in my throat. Darkness surrounded me and I forced myself to take a deep breath, and then another.
Just a dream…
A silly, stupid dream, but a dream that I’d had countless times before. I shook my head, irritation rising in my throat.
It was Reggie’s fault.
I’d been having this exact dream ever since he’d made the stupid prediction during one of our rare arguments in the midst of our divorce that I was going to die an old cat lady, alone with nothing but a bunch of ‘tomcats’ as he called them, to keep me company.
I’d begged to get a cat since we’d first gotten married, but he hated cats. As soon as he was gone, I’d gone straight to the shelter and picked out Milo and Leo. Reggie complained about them every time he stopped by the house.
Sometimes, the dream changed a little. Sometimes, Reggie was watching from a lounge chair and laughing at me. Sometimes, the cats wouldn’t jump into the pool. But more or less it was always the same.
Just as he’d predicted — me and a bunch of cats growing old together. I hated Reggie for planting that image in my brain and I hated that I’d internalized it so deeply that I couldn’t stop dreaming about it.
It made me feel weak, and the last thing I wanted was to feel weak.
I’d been making progress the last few days, so I was surprised to have the dream tonight, but there it was in all its stupid glory, reminding me once more of Reggie’s words.
“Fuck you, Reggie,” I said al
oud to the empty room. Jumping out of bed, I walked over to the curtains and threw them open, letting the bright sun pour into the room, banishing the darkness of the dream.
I’d learned some things yesterday and I was excited to carry them into the sunlight of a brand new day. Anything was possible, that was the main thing I’d come to learn, and it was a very pleasant lesson to accept.
Last night, I’d decided to shrug off the plans Mario had made for me today, which included going skydiving in the desert and then going to a water park, both of which sounded like way too much adventure for me. Instead, I opted to do some upscale shopping at Caesar’s Palace and hit the roulette table again. After that, I planned on winging it for the rest of the evening.
For the first time, I didn’t have to fight off the urge to stay in my hotel room. After a delicious breakfast at a cafe downstairs, I took a taxi over to Caesar’s and spent the day buying anything my heart desired, using last night’s winnings to pay for it all.
It was the first time I’d bought anything with my own money in years and it felt incredible. Not that I felt bad about spending Reggie’s money. In my opinion, all those miserable years with him had felt like a job in itself. I’d earned every penny of the divorce settlement.
But still. Knowing I’d made the money myself was a jolt of happiness that was new and fresh.
And very addicting.
CHAPTER 12
RICHIE
Next to sex, sleeping is my favorite activity.
Getting interrupted during either of them is not something I enjoy.
The sun pouring through my bedroom window had been threatening to pull me from my slumber for the last few hours, but I’d never been an early riser and I was pretty damned good at ignoring it.
What I couldn’t ignore was a group of whispering, giggling men, entering my room like a bunch of preteens at a slumber party. Daine, Blaze and Fox surrounded my bed and I opened one eye to greet them.
“What the hell do y’all want?” I growled.
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