“I’ve been working.” I tried to defend myself, but he wasn’t buying it. “I have less than three months to get his roll out completed. There are still so many things to do and I am just, well, trying to… you know. Work,” I finished lamely.
He raised an eyebrow at me. Yeah. Neither of us were buying that one, but he let it go.
“Come on. You and I are going out on the town. I have been here all this time and you haven’t shown me the bright lights of Sin City yet.”
“It’s really not my thing,” I protested. “I much prefer the quiet of the house.”
“Sure. The house you spend no time in.”
“The quiet of the office, then.” I tried again. “We could order in. Any restaurant in town will send food over here. I have an almost fully stocked bar over at the main building. And it’s completely empty right now.” I tried to entice him into staying, but I could see by the look on his face he was determined. I sighed. “Alright, Si. Where do you want to go?”
Silas clapped his hands together. “Hooah!” he shouted, giving the standard US Army cheer. “That’s what I’m talking about.” As he stood, I noticed for the first time that he’s dressed differently than he was when we left the house together in the morning.
“Si,” I questioned. “Did you go shopping?”
He smoothed his hands down the front of his perfectly pressed black button-down shirt. “As a matter of fact, I did. You’re not the only country boy who can rock some fine city threads. Now, get your ass down to the truck. We are hitting a club.”
Thirty minutes later we were seated at a booth in one of the hottest bars on the Strip. It was Friday night and it was packed. Not that there was really any such thing as a quiet night in Las Vegas, but the weekends seemed to bring out the party animals.
This place was a bit classier, the cover charge alone being enough to dissuade some of the rowdier party goers. I sat at the comfortable booth, my own dress shirt not as nice as the one Silas was wearing simply because I worked in it all day, but the glass of bourbon in my hand was quickly making it so that I didn’t care. I stared idly around the bar, taking in the crowd of beautiful people dressed in their best, rolling the glass of bourbon around on the table top. There was a woman standing at a high-top table near ours, her skin tight silver dress and her long dark hair making her look like she belonged on a red carpet and not by herself in a bar. She glanced our way once or twice, but the perpetual scowl on my face must have convinced her I wasn’t worth the trouble because she eventually moved on to another group of guys a few tables down from us. Silas watched her go, then shook his head at me.
“What?” I said, already knowing what he’s going to say.
“You are never gonna find yourself a lady if you keep looking like you’re mad at the world.”
“I am mad at the world,” I said petulantly.
“I know you are,” he replied thoughtfully. “And I love you, man. I really do. But you have got to get a grip on all that anger and shit.”
We were distracted from our conversation by a pair of young ladies who stopped at our table. The were obviously past tipsy and they clung to each other for support as they giggled at me.
“Oh, my god. Did he just say he loves you?” the first one asked me.
“Um, yeah, but-”
“Oh!” squealed the second, her face scrunching up as she looked at Silas. “That is so sweet.” She looked back to me. “Mr. Montgomery, you are the luckiest guy, like, ever.”
“Excuse me?” my eyebrows shot up. “Do I know you?”
“Yes,” the first girl said. “I mean, maybe. We work for you. In the call center and mail room.”
Recognition hit me as I realized these two were a part of the group that was giggling and staring in the lobby on the day Silas arrived.
“Right.” I said, trying to end this conversation and move these two on with their night. The last thing I needed was to be seen with inebriated employees. That was a law suit waiting to happen. “Of course. But, you see, we were just leaving, so…”
“Oh,” gushed the second. “We’re sorry. We didn’t mean to interrupt. We just wanted to say we thought you were so cute together. We’ll let you get back to your date. See you Monday.” And with that, they wobbled off on their high heels, I assumed to find more drinks.
I stared after them, unable to completely comprehend what just happened. “Date?”
Silas started to laugh, his head thrown back. “Oh, shit.”
“What?” I questioned, raising my glass to finish off my bourbon. Coming out tonight was a bad idea.
“That day,” he said, running his hand over his short hair. “The day I arrived in town. All the girls in the office were staring. That’s why!” He exclaimed, like it was a revelation. “They think we’re a couple.”
I choked on my bourbon. Slamming my fist into my sternum, I coughed until the fire cleared out of my lungs. “Why would they think that?”
“Well,” Silas said thoughtfully. “Let’s think about what they’ve seen. The first time they saw us together we were hugging.”
“That was a bro hug,” I qualified.
“True,” Si conceded, nodding. “But it was an enthusiastic bro hug. I can see where they might have misinterpreted it.” I grinned as he continued listing all the reasons people would think we were romantically involved. “You and I arrive to the office together every morning, we eat lunch together almost every day, and we leave together in the evenings.” He finished ticking off the list on his fingers. “All in all, I’d say from the outside it looks like we are in a very happy and committed homosexual relationship, Stone. And those gals are right about one thing,” he finished with a smug grin on his face.
“Yeah? And what’s that?”
“That you, Mr. Montgomery, are the luckiest guy, like, ever.”
With that we both burst out laughing. I really was lucky to have a friend like him on my side.
My laughter cut off as I caught a glimpse of two women standing at the bar, my eyes drawn to the one with long golden blonde hair. I could only see her from behind, and as she leaned over to tell the bartender her order, I couldn’t help but stare at her perfect ass, covered by a tight black skirt, the lace trim at the bottom only accenting her long sexy legs. Her hair fell almost to her waist, and I was struck by a sudden vision of running my fingers through it, fisting it tight as I pressed into her from behind.
The image was so strong, so realistic in my mind, that I felt my blood pumping hard and my body responding to the thoughts in my head without my permission. As I sat there, staring at the gorgeous blonde and letting my imagination run wild, my eyes tracked down her long legs to see the bright pink shoes she had on.
Shoes I recognized.
I dragged my eyes up her body again, this time really looking hard.
It couldn’t be.
But it was.
It was Penelope. And she was a fucking Blonde Bombshell.
As the bartender handed her the drink she ordered, she paid him and turned around. And there stood Penelope, her hair down for the first time that I had seen, wearing a sexy skirt and those freaking heels. The smile on her face wide as she laughed at something the person beside her said. Looking at her companion, I realized with a shock that it was Daphne. My sister was standing there in a dress that was practically scandalous as every man in the room stared at the two of them like they were lunch.
My fist tightened around my empty glass. Penelope hadn’t spoken to me in weeks, but here she was, looking hot as hell for any guy in town to drool over.
And Daphne! She’d barely turned twenty-one. Neither of them should be here.
Silas looked at me, and seeing the change in my face he followed my gaze. I could see his eyes widen as he took in what I just saw. His jaw tensed, and I wondered if it was because of Penelope or Daphne. However, that was a conversation best saved for later.
We watched them from our booth, laughing and enjoying their drinks. Penelope looked
incredible. Her hair, out of its bun for the first time since I’ve known her, fell like a waterfall of sunshine, and her bright blue eyes were shining even in the dim light of this ridiculous club.
She was stunning. Absolutely glowing, and it took me a moment to realize that it was because she was happy.
It was the first time I’d seen her without her defenses being on high alert and the difference was striking. Seeing her now, carefree and light, I could tell just how much strain the bickering we’d been doing had been putting on her. Watching her laugh with my sister, I was struck by just how much I wanted to bask in the light she gave off. I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
And I just knew I was gonna get burnt.
Shutting down any further thoughts of Penelope, I moved to stand. I wanted to leave the bar and head back to the house where it was quiet and I could sit in my room and think of all the reasons why I hated Las Vegas and this project and how badly I wanted to get back to Texas. But as I was pulling a few bills out of my wallet, I saw a trio of guys approaching Penelope and Daphne. I stilled as I watched the douchebags, probably a group of dude-bros here on vacation from whatever Ivy League school their daddies got them into.
“Stone,” Silas warned. “Whatever you’re thinking of doing, man, don’t. Just walk away.”
But I barely heard him. I stood and watched as the tallest of the guys leaned down and whispered into Penelope’s ear. Daphne had another guy on her side. He was yammering away but she seemed to be ignoring him. Penelope was listening to what ever that douche was saying, then she threw her head back and laughed. She nodded, and suddenly he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held up his phone with the other hand. Just as he was about to snap the selfie, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Penelope’s cheek.
And I snapped.
I headed off across the bar, Silas hot on my heels. As I pushed my way through the crowd, I could see the guys stepping away from Penelope and Daphne, but I didn’t let them get far.
“Hey, asshole,” I shouted, drawing the attention of just about everyone, including Penelope. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at me storming through the crowd. The guy with the phone turned back, looking around like a dope as he considered who I could possibly be talking to. “Yeah, you, dipshit.” He raised his eyebrows as I stopped in front of him. Silas was behind me, his hand on my arm to call me back, but I shook him off. “You always go around putting your mouth on women who don’t belong to you?”
“I, um, dude, we were just-” he stammered, looking to his buddies for help, but neither of them wanted to step in. I couldn’t blame them; I was raging.
“You were just looking to get a punch in the mouth, that’s what you were doin’.”
“Stone,” Penelope hissed from my side. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Hey, I didn’t know she had a boyfriend, man,” the goofball said, like that made what he did any better.
“Stone!” Penelope tried again, tugging on my arm. I continued to glare daggers at the kid, his friends backing away slowly. I rolled my eyes. Nice crew.
I took a step toward them and they all backed up three steps. Penelope moved in front of me, positioning herself between me and the losers I was trying to accost. “Seriously! What do you think you are doing?”
“That moron touched you when he had no right to do so. I am about to teach him how to treat a lady.”
She snorted, crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes throwing fire at me. “Right, because that’s your specialty, is it?” she asked sarcastically. “You wouldn’t know what to do with a lady if you had an instruction manual.”
The trio behind her all gave a round of low “Ohhhhhhs” which just served to piss me off more.
I sent them another glare, which shut them up. Looking back at Penelope, I tried a different approach. “I just think it’s poor manners to touch someone with out askin’ their permission.”
“He did ask,” she said, shocking me. “I said yes.”
“What the hell would you do that for?” I demanded before I could think better of it.
“I don’t see why it’s any of your business,”she replied coolly.
Seeing I wasn’t going to get any answers from her, I turned my attention back to the offending moron. “What do you have to say for yourself?” I barked. He held his hands up, trying to placate me.
“Honestly, dude, it was totally innocent.”
“Really?” I snarled.
“Yes!” He reached in his back pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. “Here, look.”
Taking the sheet, I scanned it with a frown. Shit.
“A scavenger hunt?”
His shoulders drooped in relief. “Yes. A scavenger hunt. See, Benny here.” The guy reached for one of his friends, dragging him back in front of me. “Benny is getting married next month. This is his bachelor party. And to commemorate the occasion, I was tasked with item number fourteen: a kiss with a beautiful lady. And I mean, dude. Like, look at her.” He gestured to Penelope, his eyes roaming up and down her body salaciously.
This was ridiculous. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Just get the hell out of here, alright?”
All three of them bolted like their asses were on fire. I turned around and caught the glare from Daphne.
“Stone, I love you,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “But you really are an asshole.”
“Daphne, I-”
“Just save it, Stone.” The disappointment in her eyes killed me. Both her and Penelope were looking at me like I was the worst person they knew.
I might have to agree with them.
“Come on, Penelope. Let’s get out of here. I have a friend who can get us VIP at a place I know.” With that my sister turned and headed for the door. Penelope gave me one last agitated look, then turned and followed my sister.
I watched her walk away - again - and wondered how I could have possibly handled that any worse.
Turning, I looked at Silas. “Thanks for the help, friend.”
“Oh, I think you did quite fine on your own.” He shook his head at me. “For a man who dug his own grave.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, Stone,” Silas said, slapping me on the back. “My sentiments exactly.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Penelope
The night air was cool as it blew in from across Red Rock Canyon. Standing at the edge of Harold’s property, I allowed my gaze to pass over the shadowed hills as I tried to shake off the emotions from my disaster of an evening.
When Daphne called me just before I finished work for the day, she sounded so excited. She wanted us to go out, spend some time on the town. I hadn’t been out the entire time I had been here in Las Vegas, instead focusing on the work and creating the promotional materials needed for the launch. But my mother’s words played in my mind, how she wanted me to live a little while I was here, so I had agreed. Daphne met me at the house and I dressed in my best clothes. I had sent all the things Moira purchased back to her once my suitcase arrived. There was no way I was going to need all those items. I even insisted paying her for the pants and top I had worn, the cost of which was an entire weeks worth of my mother’s nursing salary, but I didn’t want to be indebted to anyone, especially Harold Pennington. It was bad enough I was living in his home.
When Daphne and I arrived at the club in my Jimmy Choo heels and the skirt my mother had altered for me by hand, I was feeling pretty good about myself. We headed to the bar, and I ordered a drink and I was just starting to relax when out of no where came Stone Pennington, barreling in and throwing his weight around like he always does.
Once the drama was over, I begged off going to the next club with Daphne and we both decided to just call it a night. I was just tired of all of it. Tired of ignoring Stone, tired of dealing with his snide remarks and his constant asshole comments. Tired of feeling attraction to him when all I should feel was annoyance. Tired of fighting for a job that would likely never be mine regar
dless of how hard I worked.
I was just tired.
Standing there, looking over the barren desert landscape, the normally beautiful reds and oranges now painted in shades of muted gray and black in the darkness, I was contemplating my next move when I heard the foot steps approaching behind me. Letting out a huge sigh, I turned and met Stone’s eyes in the dim light from the pool. Crossing my arms over my chest, I watched him approach.
“Penelope,” he said, looking supremely uncomfortable. I felt a little bad for enjoying his discomfort. But only a little. “I, um, I wanted to apologize.”
I waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, I pressed him. “Apologize for what, exactly, Mr. Montgomery?”
He cringed at my use of his last name, a sure sign that we were not on good terms right now.
“For tonight. For getting involved where I wasn’t wanted. I just assumed…”
“Yeah, well, you know what they say about people who assume things,” I quipped, throwing his own words from the first time we stood by this pool back at him. He didn’t miss my dig, pressing his lips together in discomfiture. Turning back to the silent desert, I stepped away from him, moving farther from the property and into the sand, feeling the small rocks and stones shifting beneath my shoes.
“Penelope, you should maybe-” Stone started, but I cut him off.
“Don’t tell me what to, do, Stone,” I threw over my shoulder, not taking my eyes of the darkened silhouette of the mountains in front of me, taking another step away.
“Yeah, no,” he said, and I could practically hear the eye roll in his voice. “I won’t, of course. I would never dream of suggesting you do something you don’t want. But, if I may, Blondie, I think I should bring to your attention that the further you go into the desert, the more likely you are to encounter something unsavory.”
I scoffed. “There is no one out there for miles, Stone. I walk the streets of Manhattan every day. I think I can handle unsavory.”
The Cowboy and the Bombshell Page 11