'So, are you here for the con?' Cape guy asked.
'Con?' Leah sounded so very calm, like she had discussions with men in masks and capes every single day.
'FetCon? It's a sex and fetish conference down at the convention centre. You two should come by,' Cape boy's friend — the one on the end of the leash snapped to the spiked collar on his neck — added. Seriously, a collar was one thing, but spikes? It seemed so very right out of a catalogue and poserish.
Kate nodded and smiled, giving her very best blank lawyer face. 'Thank you for the invitation. Our schedule is pretty full.' She was all for letting your freak flag fly. Whatever got you off as long as everyone consented was just fine. Who was she to judge? She liked to have sex where people might see. She had her own kinks, so she assumed everyone else did too. However, it seemed to her that not being a stereotype would be good too. But hell, she didn't know these dudes so what did she know? They could just like spikes. Or something.
'Something for everyone. Not just straight people.'
'Oh? Well, good. We'll keep it in mind.' Kate smiled brightly.
Two more stops and the elevator's inhabitants grew more colourful. After the guy with the cheek piercing and the split tongue got on, a woman in a fishnet cat suit and knee-high boots joined them for several floors. 'Love the boots. Where'd you get them?' Kate asked.
'I got them online. I live in Prairie Hawk, West Virginia, we don't have any lifestyle-gear stores around.' She rattled off a website name and Kate made a mental note. The boots were beyond awesome and Dix would most certainly enjoy any evening she wore boots like that and nothing else.
Kate and Leah managed to hold it until they'd gotten inside the gargantuan suite where they both dissolved into laughter.
'Why do I get the feeling cape guy was headed off to some secluded country manor? Philip Glass would be playing on an endless loop through the surround sound while Eyes Wide Shut was on big screens all through the place. Everyone would proclaim loudly just how edgy and kinky they were. I did like those boots though. Verra sexy. She works in the cat-suit-type thing. Guy in a cape was a fetish fashion disaster.'
'Purple latex pants are hard on any body type. This is why I don't go to any clubs or even tell anyone I like to top Brandon. I'd die if anyone imagined I wore a cape.'
'I'm imagining it right this very moment.' Kate studied Leah from toes to head. 'Jaunty. Mysterious. Frankly, you're way hotter in latex than elevator dude. Capewise? You do have a t-h-thing for Superman,' Kate said through her laughter. 'I'm going to pee my pants if I don't stop laughing. God, just like in that book Mike gave you for your birthday a few years ago.' This brought on a renewed laughing fit.
'If I made Brandon wear a collar, which I absolutely will not, not ever, I'd never make him wear one with spikes.' 'The spikes would look all wrong on him. He's too big for that. Gahl I feel perverted now. He's like my little brother or something. Please don't make me imagine Brandon in a collar and latex. I can't take it.'
'Neither can I. But I can imagine him dressed like Superman.' Leah raised her brows. 'Mmmm mmm.'
Once the laughter had died down, they walked around the place, before depositing their bags in each of the spacious bedrooms. 'Holy shit, this place is so swank I feel like a hick walking around with my mouth open.'
Leah tossed herself on the couch and they looked out over the fountains below and, beyond that, the lights of the Strip. 'Not bad at all'
'OK, so the deal is, I don't have any dress-up clothes because I was at the lake house with Dix. I have lingerie and jeans and sweaters. I need to shop. I wonder if it's too late?' 'Doubtful. Maybe we can get you a latex body suit.'
'Har. No one wants to see that. Anyway, while I love you to pieces, you know my rules. If I think I'm too old for leather, I'm certainly too old for full body rubber or latex. I wonder if it makes you sweaty? Hmm. Anyway, let's shop, and then come back here, get ready for dinner and go from there. I feel the need to spend some dough on pretty clothes.'
Dix had had about enough of his ex-wife. When he had a dream about killing her the night before, behind his locked bedroom door, he knew it was time to get out of there. Brandon's call had been just the push he needed.
'Charles, why are you leaving us?' Eve asked as he pulled his suitcase to the front door. She actually pouted and tried to touch him but he took a quick step back. Kate had been right, Eve had put on the works the moment he arrived back from driving her to the airport.
'Eve, stop. You're all due to leave tomorrow anyway and you've got them all scheduled up for social stuff without me so there's no need to be alarmed.'
'Mom, I feel bad for Kate. I want Dad to go and be with her for New Year's Eve. You should see if she'll many you while you're there,' Kendall suggested, grinning as she gave him a hug. 'I know you love her, Dad. I'm sorry if we made her feel bad,' she added quietly.
'Kate wouldn't want you or Adrienne to feel guilty for spending time with your mother. Ever. She went to spend a few days with her best friend and I'm going to join her as we'd planned. We'll talk when I get back, all right? All three of us.'
Adrienne looked torn. She didn't really like Kate much, but that was more to do with Eve than anything else. He felt for her, but she was sixteen, she'd have to make her own mind up. He'd always put them first, but he had a right to be happy too. He wasn't asking them to move to another state, he wasn't missing school events because he was fucking some young chick. Kate fit into his life without harming his role as a father.
'I just think you should be with your family right now, Charles.' Eve fluttered her lashes.
'Mom, give it a rest. We have cookies to bake and movies to watch. Dad just gets in the way anyway. Go on or you'll be late for your flight.' Kendall tiptoed up to kiss him and he thanked her softly as he hugged her.
'Girls, I love you. Call me if you need to chat. I'll see you next week.' Without another look at Eve, he kissed the girls and headed out, free and off to get his woman.
'This is what your inside hotel connections could get us?' Dix stood outside the window where the hotel clerk waited to check them in. The Penny Pincher motor court was so far off the Strip it was just a memory off in the distance.
Brandon sighed. 'It's right before New Year's Eve in Las Vegas, Dix. It's the best we could get on short notice. Hopefully we can upgrade tomorrow. It's just one night. This place probably is cleaner than the fancy places on the strip.'
Dix took another look around and doubted that very much. But whatever, it was just one night and it was already late. They'd sleep and wait for Brandon's special hotel connections to try to find where the women were. Kate had cleverly dodged his questions about what hotel they were staying in. At the time he'd just been happy to hear from her and he hadn't even realised she had talked him around her exact location. Then he'd hung up and it hit him. Sneaky woman hadn't answered her phone since and she'd left him a voicemail when he'd been on the plane flying out. He was so going to get her for this when he found her gorgeous ass.
One night please. A double.'
The clerk, who was a hundred if a day, looked at him and then at Brandon. 'Hourly? You need condoms and lube?' He hauled a bunch of sex toys onto the cracked, sticky-looking counter and winked at Dix.
Brandon made a choked sound but managed a pretty dignifledsounding, 'No thanks. Just the room for the whole night.' We don't got no doubles. Just a single with a queen bed. You want extra towels, that's ten bucks more.'
Dix sighed. Unfuckingbelievable. He shoved fifty dollars through the small slot and got a key in return. 'Come on then, the sooner we go to sleep, the sooner we can wake up and get the fuck outta here.'
The lobby smelt like a porta potty at a three-day music festival, on day three. The ambiance was not spoilt by the presence of the hooker sitting on the plastic-covered couch with his skirt hitched to his thighs, his balls hanging free from the hole in his fishnets or the smeared lipstick bleeding into a face needing a shave quite badly.
'Hi
there, sweet thing,' he crooned at Brandon. 'You two looking for some company for your party? I'd do you both for free.'
'I do appreciate the offer and all, but we're good. You might hurt someone with that beard though.' Dix winked as they headed to the stairs, where the scent of vomit joined the medley of urine and spunk.
Some people like that, sunny Jim,' he called back good-naturedly. 'You two change your minds, I'll be here a while. These shoes are killing my feet.
'They're very nice shoes,' Brandon said as they moved towards the second floor.
Once they got into the room, Dix, who instantly decided there was no way he was taking his shoes off on this carpet, turned to Band Boy. Nice shoes?'
'No harm in being nice. Gross, this room is, um . . . wow.'
'If, by wow, you mean disgusting and ridden with filth, I wholeheartedly agree. I'm not sleeping on that floor so you're stuck sharing with me unless you want to chance a fungal infection from that carpet.'
Brandon looked down, his lip curling. 'I've seen a lot of hotels. Old ones, small ones. But this one is ... I can't imagine how it stays in business. I'm going to sleep in my clothes.'
'I hate to break it to you, but I don't think all of you is going to fit on this bed.' Dix sighed. 'I need a drink before I can sleep here. Come on, we can go grab a bite and a drink or five. The locks are the only thing in this room that look well taken care of.'
'As long as you don't plan on eating or drinking anything in here. We'd have to take some antibiotics for that I'm pretty sure.'
Dix laughed. He liked Brandon and agreed with Kate that he was a good match for Leah. There was far worse in the world than to be stuck in this shithole with a guy with a sense of humour and a glass-ha If-full sensibility.
Is that your phone again?' Leah asked after taking a sip of champagne. Yes. It's Dix. Oh I like that colour.' Kate admired the polish Leah had on her toes as the woman doing her pedicure applied it. 'Hmm. He's not a man to be put off. I'm surprised he hasn't come to beat down the door.'
'He probably would have if he knew where we were. He knows I'm in Vegas, just not the hotel. I know I need to tell him. Hell, I need to figure out when I'm going back because I promised him we'd spend New Year's Eve together. But I haven't been this relaxed in ages and it's all snowy and cold back home.' She sat back and drank her own champagne.
She could totally get used to this treatment. But for the moment. . . She picked up the phone and called him back.
'Sorry I missed you. We're getting beauty treatments. How's Pickles? Has she endangered your virtue yet?' She looked across the spa to catch sight of a woman in a rubber dress and sky-high heels. The fabric around her nipples was cut out and the rings danced merrily as the attendant applied top coat to her fingernails.
By the way, there's a sex convention here in Vegas right now. Some of them are hot, some not. It's awesome to see so many people owning their kink though. You'd be in heaven, so many fake breasts and chicks in latex, you wouldn't know where to look.' Where are you, Katherine?' Oops, he did not sound pleased.
Getting treatments, I told you. Um, the name of the place is -' she looked around '— El Sol Day Spa. El Sol, clever.' She knew she was pushing his buttons, but it amused her. 'I was just telling Leah that I needed to think about coming back so we can be together on New Year's Eve. Did we decide my place or yours?'
Surely, darling Katherine, you can hear the strain in my voice. I'm not pleased. Where. Are. You?'
I'm not sure I want to tell you when you ask that way.'
Leah laughed and openly eavesdropped.
This is me, annoyed. You owe me a very long blow job.'
Tuhleeze, your ex-wife barged in when we were having sex. If anyone is owed a blow job, it's me. I was nice and relaxed from my massage and now that's gone at the thought of her. I'm going to look at plane tickets and I'll get back to you. We'll do it at my place because it has a doorman and Eve can't barge in. Tell her I said hello.' She stabbed her finger on the screen and smudged her polish.
You did not tell me you were having sex when Pickles barged in.'
Kate sighed. It's unfair of me to blame him. Ugh, oh my God, Leah, I want to run her over with my car. I hate her. Every time I see her I think to myself, What the hell did Dix see in this cow? She said she'd forgotten I was there.' Yikes. And here I thought I had it bad.'
'Well, you did. Bingo? By the by, will you be wearing that swell BeDaziled puppy sweatshirt out to dinner tonight?' You're a bitch when you drink champagne.' Leah snickered. 'Do you think I have to keep it? You know, bring it out when they visit and stuff?'
So you've accepted they'll visit? You've accepted you and Bingo have a capital-F future then? You know you want to marry him, Leah. He's young and eager and, yes, he makes me want to ruffle his hair. If I could reach it without standing on a chair that is. But he's a good dude. He loves you. He accepts you and respects your space. He gets you — in and out of bed. He has a job. He's not a dick like Mike. He'll apparently grow into a hot older man like his dad. And you'll have a lifetime supply of doilies and BeDazzled shirts. Lastly and most importantly, he doesn't have an ex-wife.'
'Marriage? It seems like such a big step. I do not appreciate that he planned to do it there. He should have done it in private. He should have discussed it with me first!'
'You know he did it because that's how he thinks. He wanted to make a statement to you about how important you are to him. I bet asking women to marry them at Christmas with the family is important down in Hooterville. If you weren't ancient, he would have given you his Four H pin or whatever the fuck.'
'Hooterville, ha! You're going to hell for making me laugh about this.'
'You can sit at my table in the cafeteria.'
They paid and went outside, relaxed, mildly intoxicated, still full from an awesome sushi lunch and all prettied up. Kate hadn't been so manicured and facialised in a while. Her roots were done, her pores were sparkling clean, her skin was soft and she smelt good. She wished Dix were there to get an eyeful.
Once they got in the cab heading back to the hotel, Leah got back to the subject. 'We're already living together, why isn't that enough? And you're one to talk. Dix wants to live with you and you keep putting him off.'
'Of course I am. I would live with him if he didn't have the whole daughter situation. I can't be the slutty, selfish girlfriend who makes him think with his cock. I love him, Leah. He's patient and kind, he thinks about what makes me happy. He loves to give oral sex and he's damned good at it. He even had dinner with my parents at Thanksgiving! But I don't want him to put his kids aside for me. I couldn't live with that. He adores them. He's a great, involved father. It's only two more years. We can deal with it that long. I'm actually trying to see if I can take some of the cases further out of the city. There's an entire division that deals with Lancaster and the surrounding environs. If I can do that three days a week, it might be a reality that I can move in with him and keep my place in the city.'
'Have you told him about this?'
'He only recently began the let's move in together thing. He suggested we move to Lancaster which makes it halfway between our jobs and we each commute. Which is great but it doesn't get at the situation with his daughters still going to school. While I don't mind him commuting an hour, why should they give up the house he's lived in for all these years?'
Because they're old enough to deal with that. For God's sake, they're not eight years old. You said they were with Pickles most weekdays anyway because she was way closer to the school and their jobs.'
'Back to you. I just think you should take a chance on Bingo. He's worth it. He's like way hot and stuff. He folds your laundry because it makes you happy. Christ, Leah, what man does that? He's like . . . well, listen, if he were five or six years older and not your boyfriend and Dix wouldn't kill me and I didn't love him and all, I'd nail Brandon myself.'
They got out and let the doorman get the door for them as they sauntered through the lobby, through t
he atrium and back towards the elevators.
'Whore.' Leah laughed as they rode up to their floor.
You know it. So when are you going to call him? He has to be worried.'
'I know. After dinner tonight I will. Maybe I'll go home when you do.'
They got off and walked around the serene, luxuriously appointed comer and what should they see but Dix and Bingo looking like they slept rough and very unhappy.
Kate stopped, sheepish. 'Um. Guess you found where I was staying.'
Mouth in a hard line, Dix took the card key from her hand, opened the door, handed it to Brandon who looked equally pissed off, and turned back to Kate. 'Which one is yours?'
She pointed to her room. He swatted her ass and pushed her along the way. She cast a look over her shoulder at Brandon and Leah before Dix slammed the door and menaced her.
'No offence or anything, but, one, you look like you slept on the floor of a Greyhound bus and, two, why are you here?'
He stepped towards her and she wrinkled her nose. 'There's a three, you smell like pee. Did Bingo have an accident or something?'
He threw up his hands and began to laugh. 'Damn you, Kate. Why can you always disarm me? I'm supposed to be mad at you. Bingo? And why the fuck do you look so good? Being away from me means you turn into some fucking supermodel?'
She shoved him towards the bathroom, i wouldn't have had four glasses of champagne if I knew you'd be here. Bingo is apparently what Ma and Pa Kettle call Band Boy. If you tell him, I will have to kill you before Leah kills me so keep that to yourself. Get out of those clothes and into the shower. I can't say I've ever had a thing for homeless, urine-stinky men, even ones who can blow me until I scream.'
She brought back a glass of champagne just as he was getting out of the shower.
Thank you.' He drank it in two swallows, put the glass down and hauled her to him for a kiss that left her tingly, shaky and breathless. 'That's better. I looked like I slept on the sticky floor of a Greyhound bus because we spent last night at the ever so lovely Penny Pincher motor court about five miles from here with hot and cold running hookers with two-day beard growth and fishnet stockings in the lobby. By the way, he offered us a freebie. They had hourly rates. Brandon's feet hung off the end of the bed. Which crinkled from the plastic lining on the mattress. My skin is still crawling. And here you are staying in the motherfucking penthouse suite at the Palisades! Why do you look so good? You smell like mango. Your hair is all soft and straight. Your breasts are very fetching in that blouse. What the fuck have you been doing?'
Megan Hart and Lauren Dane - No Reservations Page 7