Roulette

by C. D. Bradley

  What was that? Olivia sat straight up. She was not about to hook up with a total stranger. She started trying to think of the last time she hooked up with anyone. Shit.

  An announcement sounded overhead that they were heading back to dock. The cruise was over and her friends were nowhere in sight.

  “I better go find my friends,” she said and turned to leave.

  He took her by the arm. “Wait,” he blurted and pulled her close to him. “Don’t go. Stay with me.” The words came out dark and needy.

  “The cruise is over. We all have to go.” She breathed unwilling to break from his grip. At this close proximity his cologne swirled around her and kicked every hormone into overdrive.

  “Then come with me. We can take a walk or go back to the hotel bar for a while.” His eyes told her they wouldn’t do much talking. “I just want to know you better.”

  “You know we aren’t going to have much to say beyond small talk and frankly I don’t really care about the weather at the moment. You are a male model and I am a professional. I went to Yale for Christ’s sake. If I go with you we are going to end up having a one-night stand and never see each other again,” she blurted. She was not about to be some groupie pining for a man who was never coming back. Yet at this moment there was nothing more she wanted than to be in his arms.

  “Wow.” He took a step back and released her arm. “Are you really that jaded?” He shook his head like he was seeing her for the first time. “Come on I’ll walk you to your friends.”

  Olivia was stunned. “What the hell? Are you really offended. Isn’t that your thing? Town to town, a string of one-night stands. No commitments. No disappointments.”

  “Just like that?” He laughed. His eyes flashed in the disappearing light and he pulled her to him, crashing her body into his. “Baby, if I had you for the night, you wouldn’t walk away unscathed. I have dreamt of your touch, longed for you more than the dark sky yearns for the sun.” That voice stole Olivia’s heart and soul, soft but so clear it embodied the sheer essence of everything it was to be a man looking at the one love of his life.

  “You don’t even know me,” she whispered.

  “I’ve always known you,” he growled and put his hand in the back of her hair and pulled her lips to his.

  At first Olivia resisted but the sensation of his expert mouth and the taste of cinnamon and whiskey made her knees weak. His fingertips sent electricity coursing through her. It wasn’t until he set her back down and pulled away that she even realized that she had been off the ground. Olivia was breathing hard and her lips still tingled with the taste of him.

  “Liv! Hey, Liv! The cruise is over we have to go!” Piper’s voice tore her from the euphoric fog. Olivia turned to see piper ascending the steps and walking toward her. “Hey, you two, have you been standing around here this whole time? We went downstairs to find the bathroom and started dancing. I think some of us girls are going to go out dancing after this. You guys want to come? Please.”

  “I need to go back to the hotel and check on my sister. Thank you for the offer,” he told Piper and then looked expectantly at Olivia like he was waiting for her to answer.

  “You’re the boss this trip, Piper,” Olivia answered. Whatever just happened she had to get the hell away while she had any will power left. “It was nice to meet you, Dominic.” Olivia put her arm in Piper’s and left him standing by the bar.

  HE COULD HARDLY believe he was watching her walk away again. His heart fell out of his chest and exploded into a thousand pieces on the floor. But she couldn’t possibly know what she was doing to him. Dominic took a deep breath and downed the rest of his drink. A one-night stand. He laughed. She had no idea what he wanted to do to her. Dominic looked over the railing and watched the group of women make their way down the pier. She never even looked back.

  OLIVIA, SAT IN the back of the Uber car as they headed back to the hotel. Piper lay slumped over her drooling on her shoulder. Well, dancing was an absolute ball for a while anyway. Poor Piper went all in a little quicker than she planned. Olivia adjusted her head to make sure she was breathing okay. Piper had two modes when partying; life of the party and asleep. She was like a little kid that ran and played their heart out then passed out the second you picked them up for nap time. It had always been that way Olivia recalled. Though she would have expected Piper’s liver to have matured some in the last ten years.

  They had been dancing hard when Piper said she wanted to sit down for a minute. Olivia knew it was time to call an Uber to come pick them up. The other women were still going strong so they bid them farewell. Piper had managed to stay awake at least until the car pulled away from the curb. Question now is how Olivia was going to get her out of the car and back up to her room. They pulled up to the front of the hotel.

  “Okay, thanks,” Olivia told the driver. She exited the car and pulled Piper out with her. Olivia did her best to put Piper’s arm over her shoulder and support her weight. Piper was small but her legs were not moving so she felt like a rag doll filled with wet sand. Olivia semi-wrestled her into the lobby to the first available chair. She removed her own shoes and positioned Piper to pick her up. She could just carry Piper to bed and come back for her shoes later.

  “Do you need some help?” That smooth male voice could not be mistaken.

  Olivia turned to see Dominic still in his suit from the evening minus the jacket. His tie was long gone though, and the first few buttons of his dress shirt were undone. She could see a hint of just how sculpted he was and the peak of a tattoo. His dark hair was tousled as if he had just run his hand through it.

  “What are you doing in the lobby this late?” Olivia asked eyeing him suspiciously. Her prosecutor mind was always set to guilty until proven innocent. “Waiting up or just finishing a midnight fling?”

  “Neither. Let me help you take your friend upstairs,” he said in a tone that left no room for question.

  “This isn’t going to win you any bonus points,” Olivia snipped.

  “I don’t need any. But I don’t want to see you fall with her in the elevator or on this hard floor and end up giving your best friend a head bleed,” he answered deadpan. She knew he was right and as much as she hated to admit it, she needed the help.

  “Okay, you win . . . thank you,” Olivia conceded and picked up her shoes and their purses. Dominic picked up sleeping Piper with ease and they walked toward the elevator. She pushed the button and they waited. He was incredibly gentle with Piper. Olivia couldn’t help but be a little moved by his kindness. As they rode up to the sixth floor she struggled for something to say.

  “Have you been modeling very long?” she asked and looked over at the rugged playboy carrying her friend. Olivia pictured Piper in the morning when Olivia told her how she got upstairs. No head injury required, Piper would probably fall over dead.

  “I thought you didn’t like small talk,” he countered and smiled down at her. His pale green eyes seemed softer and relaxed than when she first saw him in the lobby.

  “Well we could just listen to Piper snoring in concert with the lovely elevator music.” She laughed.

  “I started a few years ago, when my sister was sick. I would do anything for her. I think the excitement of all this and the love of the readers pulled her through,” he answered thoughtfully. “When we were little we fought like cats and dogs. All the time. But now . . . I couldn’t imagine losing her. She’s my best friend.”

  “Funny how that works,” Olivia replied, positioning herself so she wouldn’t have to see the mirrored wall of the elevator.

  “Do you have any siblings?” he asked. His eyes searched her for an answer.

  “No. I’m an only child,” she answered coldly, then suddenly smiled. “Unless you count sleeping beauty there.”

  The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Dominic carried Piper to her room and Olivia fished the key out of her purse. Once inside Dominic laid Piper on the bed and then stepped out to give her some privacy whi
le Olivia got her tucked in. Olivia thought of how close Dominic was to his sister. She felt a pang of guilt for the way she had treated Piper over the last few years. She had abandoned Piper when she needed her most. She vowed to be a better friend starting now.

  “Sleeping beauty is all tucked in and resting peacefully,” Olivia reported as she returned to the hall and quietly closed the door behind her. “Thanks for your help. I would have had a hell of a time getting her all the way up here. Unless I used one of those luggage things.”

  He laughed. “I’m fairly certain she wouldn’t have liked that too much.” He leaned up against the wall just inches from her.

  “In her current state she isn’t able to like or dislike much of anything. But I know she will appreciate it tomorrow.” Olivia struggled to answer. He was standing entirely too close. The electricity between them was making it hard to think of words to say. She wanted to run away and jump on him at the same time.

  “I could walk you to your room,” he offered, the intensity in his eyes growing. The hallway became suddenly warm.

  She hesitated and sucked in a breath. “I’m just down the hall here.” He was close enough for that fucking cologne to get to her again. Damn that stuff must be full of pheromones. It swirled all over her like a seductive Latin beat and pulled her to him.

  “It’s a short walk then.” His voice was husky with need. He slid his hand down her back and rested it in the small curve just above her ass and they started to walk.

  “I’m never going to see you again,” she said into the silence.

  “Doesn’t have to be that way,” he answered pulling her closer as they walked toward her room.

  “Yes it does. My life doesn’t have time for complications,” she answered but didn’t pull away. She had no desire to be anywhere but wrapped up with him.

  “Is that what you think I am? A complication to your perfect plans?” He spoke low his lips brushing her ear. “Baby, I would be a fucking disaster to your glass world.”

  She stopped walking. “This is my room.”

  “So I guess this is good night,” he said pulling her tight up against him, like two planets colliding, with his hand on the small of her back. The impact jolted the breath from her lips.

  Olivia threw all caution into the wind. She was never going to see him again. For this one night she wanted to experience unrestrained ecstasy. She wanted to lose herself in the high of the passion and forget all the pain and guilt. “Stay with me. Just one night.” She tilted her forehead to his. “Stay.”

  That one word acted like a spark in a room that had been slowly filling with nitroglycerin since the moment they first laid eyes on each other. His lips closed onto hers tender at first as he savored every second and then became ravenous. He let out the groan of a man who had just crossed the barren desert and now the cool waters crossed his lips. The hand on her back slid down to her ass and picked her up to him. His other hand clasped around the back of her neck and into her hair. Olivia liked to have her hair pulled. How could he possibly know that? But he seemed to know everything about her body. Dominic began kissing down the side of her neck drinking her in. He settled in that perfect spot where her neck met her shoulder. Electric currents shot in waves down her body electrifying every erogenous zone on her body. Olivia moaned and they collapsed against the outside of the room door. Frantically she began to dig for the room key. Here they were in the hallway of the hotel, her legs wrapped around a man she barely knew. He was not letting up. Mercifully, she found the key and swiped it behind her in the door lock. Several frustrating tries later it clicked. Dominic had that door open in a split second. They crashed into the room and were ripping off clothes as fast as they could get their hands on them. Her dress fell by the bathroom. He undid his belt while she grabbed his collar. Motherfucker. When she ripped off his white shirt there was the chest of a chiseled god. Oh, sweet baby Jesus and that tattoo. She stepped back and stumbled back over the chair. She could barely breathe. Those eyes. Her eyes. What the fuck. He had a tattoo on the right side of his chest. Angel wings over a pair of eyes. Her eyes.

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked panicked and picked her up.

  “What . . . What is that?” she screamed breathlessly and pointed at his chest.

  “What are you talking about?” He looked down, his eyes wild. “My tattoo? I have a lot of tattoos.”

  “The one on your chest, who is that?” she asked her heart still racing.

  “A friend of mine died when we were young. I got that for her a few years ago. Why are you so freaked out? It’s just some eyes and wings. Olivia, are you okay? What’s going on?” He sat on the arm of the chair and tenderly stroked her hair.

  “I’m sorry. Wow way to kill the moment.” She laughed nervously. “They kinda look like me. It just really freaked me out. I know that sounds completely stupid.”

  “No, not stupid. If I was making out with some guy and he had a tattoo of what looked like my face on his chest I would be freaked the fuck out.” He laughed.

  “I’m just being stupid. I haven’t done this in a while,” she answered looking at the floor.

  “What freak out or be with a guy?” he teased and sat on the bed. “I could go if you want.” She could tell he meant the words but his face looked pained like he might actually die if she kicked him out now.

  Sitting on her bed was this beautiful fucking playboy, hers for the night. There is no harm in living a little she reminded herself. “Don’t go,” she answered flatly and opened the mini fridge. Her buzz was way gone. He had to think she was a psycho at this point. She reached in and pulled out the Grey Goose and cran-orange she had brought with her. “Wanna have a drink on the balcony?”

  “Sure. Do you really want me to stay?” he asked

  “Do you want to stay?” she asked. Please say yes. She wanted this one night.

  “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known, I never want to be anywhere else.” He stood up and walked over to her. “I want to explore your soft skin and feel you tremble with my touch. To taste the sweetness of your desire and feel you lose control. I’m going to take you to the brink of ecstasy and jump into the abyss with you.” His voice danced and delved in highs and lows as if he played host to angels and demons.

  “You’ve been reading too many romance books.” She laughed but couldn’t help biting her lip. He took the drink from her hands and set it on the desk.

  “You don’t need alcohol to get drunk with me.” He picked her up and swung her around burying his mouth into her neck and laid her on the bed. He began moving down her neck to her chest. His touch was like fire on her skin. He burned her up but she was ready to be consumed by the flame. In the past Olivia never let herself go, but Dominic commanded it with each sensuous touch. He pulled her out of herself and into a realm of pure bliss. He raked his fingernails gently over her chest following with hot kisses in their path. When he reached her bra a wicked smile crossed his lips. He bent down and undid the front clasp with his teeth. His eyes never leaving hers he took his tongue across her chest and gently teased each firm nipple before taking it in his mouth.

  Olivia lay exposed before him yet she was not the least bit cold. The heat of the moment enveloped her. He laced his fingers in hers and placed her hands over her head. His perfect mouth met hers in a gentle kiss that she wanted to drink in forever. The heat grew as they explored each other. Keeping her hands pinned he moved down her chin and neck. His grip tightened as he reached her breast. The sensation of his hot mouth closing in around her nipple caused a moan to escape her. He used his knee to spread her legs and pressed his hips against her. The pressure of his straining cock rubbed through his shorts against the lace of her panties.

  He let go of her fingers and continued to work his way down her body. He kissed slowly but deliberately over her abdomen and blew hot air through the lace that covered her sex. Olivia gritted her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to feel that mouth on her clit. She gripped the
sheets with anticipation as he slowly began to remove the obstructive fabric. He looked up at her with a devilish grin.

  “Beautiful.” He growled and his mouth found her most sensitive flesh. The initial contact was more than her body could bare and she squirmed beneath him but he held her in place. “I will never let you go,” he murmured between her thighs and began to massage her electric nub with his tongue and ingenious mouth.

  “Sweet Lord,” Olivia cried out. She didn’t know it could even feel like that. She pressed her head back into the pillow and arched her back. Every contact sent waves of pleasure like repeated mini orgasms that wound her like a clock increasing the tension with each stroke. He held her thigh in place so that she could not wiggle away no matter how intense the sensation. Her body tensed and she gripped the sheets. The waves of pleasure built and crashed over and over. Olivia was tossed like a vessel on a stormy sea. At once she cried out unable to withstand anymore and collapsed into the bed.

  “Mmm, more exquisite than I dared to dream. Olivia, you have consumed my every waking and sleeping thought from the moment I first saw you.” He crawled up her discarding his shorts as he moved. He took her chin and kissed her intimately. She could taste the salty sweetness of her fervor on his lips. She felt closer to him in that moment than any other man in her life. His hard flesh pressed against her now slick entrance. Olivia struggled to breathe. She wanted him inside her so badly it hurt. He paused and stared her in the eyes, resting just on the edge of taking her completely.

  “Dominic . . . Please . . .” She could hear herself begging. There was no room for walls or restraint. Olivia wanted him. She wanted him inside her this very minute. Her chest heaved with anticipation and her heart pounded in desperation. There was no going back. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on to his back.

  “Do you feel that?” he asked staring directly into her soul.

  “What?” She was suddenly puzzled she was waiting, dying to feel him inside her.