Dirty Sex

by Ashley Bartlett

  “I told you not to worry.”

  “No, you didn’t.” So literal.

  “Well, it was implied.”

  The heat from before had left the room sometime between her seeing my back and her brother joining us. Getting dressed wasn’t nearly as fun as it could have been.

  *

  Twists of metal rail of New York-New York’s roller coaster loomed behind the gaudy flame-covered façade of the bar Reese had sent me to. The fading sunlight in the background was hardly a match for the wattage emanating from the overdone sports bar. Vegas sure as hell had the whole excess thing down.

  There was a game playing on the screens covering every wall in the place. I made my way through the masses of people, mostly male. Half walls of glass separated the various rooms into semblances of bars and restaurants. It was all the same though.

  I chose a stool at one of the bars facing a glass wall. From there I could see in front of me and behind because of the reflections in the glass. A few minutes later, a guy with a cropped Mohawk sat next to me. His dark, unkempt goatee stood out against the pale tone of his skin.

  “You Justin?”

  I nodded. “Chad?” We proceeded to act like we knew each other. In a bar this packed, it didn’t really matter, but it was still a good idea to be cool.

  “How much you want?” There was a trace of a Southern twang in his voice.

  “Half a zip.” I was trying to make my voice sound a bit deeper. I was also trying to say as little as possible. It wouldn’t be good to let him know I was a chick.

  “Cool. Two thirty.” Damn, markup in Vegas was high.

  I pulled out a wad of cash and counted it in my lap where he could see, but no one else could. “You got the shit?” There was no way I’d hand it over without making sure he had something to give me.

  “Right here.” Chad reached into his jacket pocket and flashed me a bag of weed.

  “Awesome.” With the bills rolled into my palm, I smacked his hand, twisted my palm up, and pulled close so our shoulders touched. Traditional bro hug. In the process, he took the cash and handed me the bag of green with his free hand. I shoved it into the pocket of my baggy jeans.

  “Give me a call if you need anything else,” Chad said.

  “For sure.” It was doubtful that we would need more. We only had another week or so left until the passports came in. Chad and I went our separate ways. He walked back into the casino and I went out the front entrance. I was about to open the door and leave when I turned and saw someone who made my hands shake and breathing pick up considerably. Gino. He made eye contact, looked me up and down, and, just as easily, looked away.

  It wasn’t possible. The fucker didn’t recognize me. The second I was outside, I started walking toward the Wynn. It required all my effort not to run. Instead, I called Reese.

  “You get it?” she asked.

  “Yeah. But Gino was in the bar.”

  “What? Get your ass back here. We’re leaving.”

  “No, no. It’s cool. He didn’t recognize me. We made eye contact and he kind of checked me out, but he totally didn’t recognize me.”

  “Shut up. What a dumbass.” She sounded as incredulous as I felt.

  “Weird that he was in there.” I wouldn’t have chosen a cheesy sports bar for a meal if I lived in Vegas. If you lived there, you’d know the actual cool places. “You know what that probably means?”

  “What?”

  “He’s probably here just to find you guys. That’s a total vacation place.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  By the time I got back to the room, I was completely full of myself for avoiding Gino. The room smelled like pizza.

  “I hear you’re pretty happy with yourself.” Ryan looked away from the window to tell me. Then he twisted back and pressed his face against the window again.

  “I saw Gino,” I said. “He didn’t recognize me.”

  “Reese told me. But, like, did he even see you?” Ryan sounded a little dubious.

  “Yes, he saw me.” I joined him at the window. “He looked me up and down.”

  “We ordered a couple pizzas.” Ryan wasn’t as excited about Gino as I had been. “And beer. You guys wanna watch a movie?”

  “Sure.” I dug into my pocket and handed him the snack size Ziploc filled with pot. “Got this for you.”

  “I love you.” He grinned and took the bag to the couch where he proceeded to crack it open and smell inside. Judging by his faraway smile, it was acceptable. He rolled ten slim joints and filled his case with them. Reese and I joined him on the couch.

  With Reese’s blessing, I chose the most horrific movie the hotel offered and we settled in with our pizza, beer, and pot. Not a bad way to spend a night really. The first scene made Reese jump. She moved closer to hold my hand. I ate my pizza and drank my beer one-handed. Half an hour later, Ryan jumped too. After that, I didn’t have any free hands.

  About halfway through, I reclined across the couch with my head in Reese’s lap and my feet in Ryan’s. They passed a joint back and forth between them. Whenever Reese had it, she would hold it to my lips. She had a way of doing it. Her fingers would trace over my mouth, let me inhale some pot, and I would blow it out. Through the haze I would sometimes suck her thumb into my mouth. Just enough to make her rock her hips forward. Reese’s breathing slowly increased.

  Ryan didn’t notice anything.

  The movie was a dark one. Literally. At one point, the screen went black for over a minute. I quietly lifted Reese’s shirt and kissed the warm skin of her stomach. My tongue traced around her bellybutton. Just as silently, I dropped the material back in place. When light from the screen filled the room again, Reese wasn’t watching it. She was looking down at me with murky eyes somewhere between horny and angry. A desperate smile twitched at the corner of her lips.

  The movie ended soon after. Ryan went to change out of his jeans. Reese and I stayed on the couch. The second his door closed, she leaned over and kissed me. We couldn’t get enough of each other. Her hands moved under my T-shirt, pushing it up to scratch down my ribs. I twisted my hands into her hair, pulling her closer.

  “I want you so bad right now,” Reese whispered against my mouth.

  “I know. It’s killing me. We have to find a way to get rid of him for a couple hours tomorrow.” I bit her lip and sucked on it lightly.

  Ryan’s door opened and we broke apart looking guilty. I got up off the couch and stretched. Damn, I was a little fucked up. The room spun and Ryan laughed.

  “Good shit,” he said.

  “Yeah, I guess we’re not going out tonight.”

  “We’re not going out any night,” Reese said.

  “Whatever. You know what I mean.”

  “Not really. What do you mean?” Reese asked. It hadn’t really hit her yet. She was probably just dreamy and happy.

  “Stand up. You’ll feel it.” I told her.

  She did and swayed a little like I had. I reached out to steady her.

  “I’m going to bed,” she said.

  “Why?” I still had my hand cupped under her elbow holding her close to me.

  “Because I don’t like being high as much as you guys do.” Reese moved past me brushing her body against the length of mine. That smile was back on her lips.

  “So boring.” Ryan was totally oblivious. I felt sort of bad for lying to him. Not bad enough to tell him though.

  “I know.” Reese disappeared into her room.

  “So whatcha wanna do?” Ryan fell less than gracefully onto the couch.

  “I dunno.” I flopped down next to him.

  We spent the next hour playing video games. I couldn’t pay attention though. All I could think about was Reese.

  Finally, Ryan tossed down his controller and shrugged. “I’m gonna crash.”

  “That’s not a bad idea.” I followed his lead and stumbled to my room. It wasn’t very late, but it was better than sitting alone and lusting over Reese.


  My bed was just as oppressive as the couch. What was Reese doing? Was she already asleep? I tossed and turned for half an hour. Maybe I’d go see if Reese was awake to, uh, talk.

  I climbed out of bed and opened my door. The suite was illuminated by the garish lights from the strip, which cast bizarre neon shapes onto the walls and left most of the room in shadow. Both of their doors were shut. I quietly closed my door and started padding over to Reese’s until I heard a noise. It sounded like someone breathing, and it wasn’t coming from either of their rooms. Someone was in the suite.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Fuck. Automatically, I flattened myself against the wall as if that would help. The shadow did nothing to hide me. Probably due to my white shirt and pale skin.

  “Cooper?” Reese’s voice floated across the room.

  “Shit. You fuckin’ scared me.” I stepped away from the wall feeling like a total loser.

  “Right.” Her form appeared next to the bar. “You scared me. I thought you were Ryan.”

  “I thought you were a bad guy.” It came out before I could stop it. Not my fault. Her pajamas consisted of my western shirt. It made it hard to concentrate. I’d been wondering where my shirt was.

  “A bad guy?” A huge grin spread across her face. “A bad guy?”

  “Shut up. What are you doing out here?” The closer she got, the harder I tried to come up with a way to look under her shirt.

  “The same as you.” Reese stopped in front of me.

  “Oh.” And then she was on me. One hand fisted in my shirt, a rogue foot curling up my leg, her other hand guiding mine under her still-buttoned shirt. “I love the way you think.”

  She laughed in response and pulled me into my room. We collapsed onto the bed in a tangle of skin and partially removed clothing.

  “We have to be quiet,” I mumbled into her mouth.

  “He’s asleep.” She arched enough for me to push the shirt off her shoulders.

  I moved my lips to the soft skin of her breasts, erratically going between them, trying to decide which one to suck. Reese grabbed my hand and pushed it between her legs again. When I slid a finger around her clit, she moaned.

  “I missed you,” she said. So quiet I could barely hear her. But I did hear her. And I missed her too. I was going to tell her. Except there was no way to admit it. Blind agreement would sound insincere. And sincerity would sound like a lie. So I said nothing. Just decided on a nipple and started sucking.

  Reese put her hand at the back of my head. When there was no hair to grab, she cupped my chin instead and forced me to look at her.

  “I mean it.”

  I went still. The only movement was the erratic rise and fall of her chest. Reese searched my eyes. I let her.

  “I know,” I said. Maybe I didn’t say it. Maybe we both just felt it. That was enough. “Now be quiet.” But we both knew she would never keep quiet. I put my free hand over her mouth. She smiled against it and bit my fingertips.

  I slid into her. Real slow. Even though she wanted it fast. Reese lifted her hips, let me take my time, let me fuck her the way I wanted to.

  My thumb was on her bottom lip. She licked it, bit it, sucked on it. Then she pulled my face down and kissed me through the fingers still against her mouth.

  Her hands skittered down my sides. She grabbed my ass and pulled me into her firmly, bracing a thigh between my legs. It was fucking distracting, the shock that traveled up my spine and spread through my shoulders. I just wanted to pump hard against her muscle until I came. I forced my concentration back to her. Not that it was hard to concentrate on the wet rush beneath my fingertips; the smell of Reese and sex permeating my everything; the small, incoherent moans in her throat; the way she curled her leg around me, giving me more. So it was a surprise as she came beneath me that I succumbed too. We went over the edge in a swirl of slick skin and ultimate submission. Together.

  I’d missed her.

  *

  I woke to the stench of pot seeping under my door. I wasn’t entirely awake yet, just that floating, grasping sensation where the clock and the sunlight don’t seem nearly as important as the warm body next to you. It was involuntary, my shift closer to rest my face on her smooth stomach. She moved in her sleep, I think, to place her hand on my neck. Those long fingers brushed over my buzzed head and I just felt good.

  I closed my eyes and breathed her in. Her skin was so soft. And I liked the hint of muscle beneath that. She smelled good. So did the pot. Warm skin and weed. Good way to wake up. ’Cause there’s nothing like a joint in the morning, and the smell was making me crave it. Great way to start the day out mellow. Have some coffee to counter the effect. All good. Where was the smell of pot coming from? Oh yeah, under the door.

  Shit. From Ryan. And Reese was still in my room, in my bed. All the good morning thoughts of naked girl and my drug of choice soured.

  “Reese,” I whispered. “Wake up.”

  She opened her eyes slowly. Her long lashes fluttered against her cheek and she smiled. Damn, I loved that smile.

  “Babe, Ryan’s up.”

  “Huh?” Her eyes shot open. “What?” At least she had the good sense to keep her voice down.

  “He’s out there. I can smell weed.”

  “Shit. What are we going to do?”

  “We could just tell him.” Not one of my better ideas. From the look she gave me, she thought it was a terrible idea as well. “Or I could go distract him and you could sneak back to your room.”

  She liked that better. “How will you distract him?”

  “Tell him to change into his bathing suit so we can hit up the pool?”

  “Yeah, good.” Reese nodded. “Just let me know when he’s in his room.”

  “All right.” I got out of bed and put on some clothes. As I headed for the door, she stopped me.

  “Wait.” Reese got up, all naked and sexy. She kissed me long and hard. “I don’t know when I’ll get you alone again.” More kissing. “Now you can go.”

  “You’re such a tease.” I was turned on. Again. Damn her.

  “Go.” She pushed me toward the door.

  I went out into the suite and shut the door behind me. Ryan was at the window smoking.

  “Hey, give me some of that.” I joined him.

  “Morning.” He handed the joint over.

  “Reese up yet?” I played dumb.

  “Nope. Just me.” Ryan took the joint back. His eyes were totally red.

  “Know what we should do?” I asked. He raised his eyebrows in question. “Hit up the pool before it gets too hot.”

  “Chill.” Ryan was the master of one-word non-responses. He held the joint out to me. I took it from him. “I’m gonna change.” He ambled away. High Ryan was a little out of it. Sleepy Ryan was the same. Any combination of the two made you wonder if his heart was still beating.

  The second his door shut. I rushed over and opened my door. Reese had the shirt back on as well as a pair of my boxer briefs. She ran her hand over my chest when she went past me. I shut the door and watched that cute ass twitch as she walked. Reese was just opening her door when Ryan came back out.

  “Hey. You finally up?” Ryan took the joint back from me.

  “Yep.” Reese acted like she was coming out instead of going in. “I’m ordering coffee. You guys want?”

  “Uh-huh.” Ryan nodded. “I’m tired.”

  Reese plucked the joint from between his lips. “Can’t imagine why.” She inhaled a mouthful of smoke and held it in.

  “You guys heard them too?” He made a grab for the joint, but she stepped back out of his reach.

  “Heard who?” My heart rate picked up a little.

  “The people in the suite next to ours.” Ryan made another grab for the joint, and again Reese danced away. She so wasn’t listening to him. “They were going at it half the night.”

  I decided not to make a big deal out of it. It would only tip him off. “Weird.”

  “Reeeeessssee.” Ryan d
idn’t care about the noisy neighbors. He just wanted the weed.

  Reese handed it to me instead of him. I sucked on it and blew the smoke into Ryan’s face. That slowed him down. He smiled and breathed it in.

  “I think you got a problem,” I told him when I gave the joint back.

  “I got two. You and her.” Ryan pouted.

  “Right.” I left them to squabble over the weed so I could change into my suit. Swimming actually sounded like a good idea.

  By the time coffee got there, Reese had put on her suit too. Fuck swimming. Fuck coffee. I just wanted to get busy with that bikini. Instead, I stared out the window so I wouldn’t give myself away.

  “I was thinking.” Reese handed me a cup of coffee. “We’re taking the gold to Mexico, right?”

  “Yeah,” Ryan said like she was dumb.

  “How?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. Maybe she was dumb. “We put it in the car and drive. The same way we got down here.” Reese raised her eyebrow. “Oh, shit. I get it.” We couldn’t fit all the gold in one car. Damn.

  “Get what?” Ryan was slower to catch on.

  “Remember how we took two cars down here?” I asked him.

  “Fuck.” There it was. “Guys, we can’t put it all in one car,” he said like he just thought of it.

  “No shit.” Reese was less patient than me.

  “What are we going to do?” If I knew Reese, she’d already thought about it.

  “I think we should leave half of it.”

  “Like buried?” Ryan was drinking his coffee. It was helping, sort of.

  “Yeah, but I think we should re-bury it. Deeper down and maybe in a different location.” She really had thought about it.

  “Why a different location?” I asked.

  “It’ll be more hidden if we bury it farther away from Vegas. Like middle of fuckin’ nowhere.”

  “Works for me.” We both looked at Ryan. His forehead was against the glass and his eyes were shut. “What do you think Ryan?”

  “Does this mean we have to dig another hole?” He seemed pained by the idea.