“Will you be requiring bell services, Miss Barrett?” was all he said.
“No, thank you. I’ve just got the one bag.” She didn’t want to go up to her room and wait for her bags to follow. Once she was there, she wanted to raid the mini bar and jump in the Jacuzzi tub, and forget about everything and everyone—until tomorrow.
Again, his eyebrows raised, but he only nodded, and handed her a key card.
“Twenty-third floor, room 2301. I hope you find it to your liking, Miss Barrett.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I will.” And if I don’t, I know exactly who to talk to she added silently with a smirk as she turned towards the elevator bank.
The ride to the room was short and quiet. Surprising for Vegas, even on a Thursday night, but she knew they had kept only a portion of the rooms open during the remodel. She didn’t mind. This weekend would be busy enough. Diamond had told her they were completely full up, with Doms and subs coming from all over the world for the opening. The thought both titillated and terrified her. She wanted so badly to experience this lifestyle, if only for a night, but she had no idea how to make that happen. She read enough books to know that playing with random strangers could be a bad idea, and the thought of being surrounded by professionals was overwhelming. Ideally, she would have played with Trevor—someone she knew, and trusted—even if she wasn’t sure she loved him. But, she was here now, and she was determined to enjoy herself. If it meant playing a little, then that’s what she would do. She wasn’t going to force it, but if opportunity presented itself, she wasn’t going to shy away from it either.
Her thoughts got away from her, and before she realized it, she had reached her suite. Taking a deep breath, she slid in the key card, and pushed the door open, gasping as she entered. The room didn’t match any of the pictures she had been sent. It was even more stunning than the ones she had seen. The deep gray walls were the same, but the floors were done in black marble while white fur rugs lay scattered about the room. The bed was done in black satin, with fluffy white pillows and throws. Setting her bag near the door, she quietly explored, gasping over each and every detail, running her fingers over the smooth walls, the soft pillows, and the silky bed sheets. From the bedroom, she made her way into the bathroom, shivering in delight as she took in the walk-in double shower, and the open garden tub with its claw feet and jets. Fluffy black towels hung nearby and a tray on the counter was stocked with candles and lotions and jet friendly bath salts. Stripping off her clothes, she grabbed the silky robe from the back of the door and shrugged it on, smiling as it caressed her bare skin. She turned on the tub, as hot as it would go, and went off in search of the mini-bar.
It wasn’t mini in the least. Like everything else in the room, or the entire hotel for that matter, it was exquisite. She would have taken the time to admire it fully, but her eyes wandered across the room to the spacious sitting area with its floor to ceiling windows that boasted a view of the downtown strip. The lights called to her, as she floated over to the window taking in the magnificent view. From the twenty-third floor, she could see a lot more than just the strip. While Rojo itself was quiet, the city below bustled. She might have to stay longer than just through the weekend. What the hell? She deserved a vacation, and besides that, it was almost her birthday. She deserved to have a little fun.
Realizing that the tub was still filling, and that she had yet to grab a drink, she turned from the window—and then she saw it. The chaise. Such a simple, innocent piece of furniture, but not to her. Seeing it there made her palms sweat and her heart race as she remembered this afternoon’s fantasy. Her mouth went dry as she ran her hand over the cool leather. If she only did one thing while she was in Vegas, it would be to get a spanking while bent over the back of it. She was putting it on her Vegas bucket list.
Chapter 3
The pounding on the door woke her up after a restless night’s sleep, and she frowned. It had to be staff, although she wasn’t sure why they would be pounding on her door this early. She hadn’t ordered room service, or a wake-up call. Whoever it was, she was going to file a complaint, she thought grumbling to herself as she lumbered out of bed, cinching the robe’s belt tight around her waist as she walked, ready to give whoever was pounding a piece of her mind. She threw open the door, and stopped short, mid-yell, shrinking back when she saw the mixture of hurt and anger on her sister’s face. Oops.
“Hi, sis?” she offered with a shrug.
Diamond frowned for a full minute, leveling her with a look that she must have learned from Pax, and then smiling in relief as she threw out her arms for a hug. “I’ve been calling you all night!”
“You have? Why?” Ruby stepped into her sister's hug automatically, but then quickly pulled back to question her.
“Trevor was blowing up my phone all night. He was adamant that you had come here, but I hadn’t heard anything, and you weren’t answering your phone.”
“Trevor called you? Why didn’t he just call me if he was so concerned?” Realizing that they were still standing in the doorway, Ruby stepped back so Diamond could enter.
“I’m sure he did. Just like I did. Neither of us got through. It rang and rang. I left messages, but eventually it said the mailbox was full.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. I turned it off the first time Trevor called. I didn’t want to talk to him. I had no idea he’d call and worry you.” The truth was, she had a million reasons to have believed that Trevor wouldn’t do that, but obviously she had been wrong, and there was no reason to upset Diamond with Trevor’s real opinion of her living situation. It didn’t matter anyway. She was done with Trevor.
“What is going on? You stayed here last night, and you didn’t even call me? Trevor says you packed a bag and walked out?” Diamond made herself at home, flopping down on the bed, propping herself up with one elbow and peering at Ruby with curiosity.
“I was going to call you this morning. I got in late, and didn’t want to bother you. And, I just needed to be alone.”
Her sister frowned watching her carefully. “Trevor said—”
“I don’t care what Trevor said! I came here to get away from Trevor and his boring traditions and judgmental personality. I don’t care what he said. I’m not going to call him back, and to be perfectly honest, Di, I’m not sure what I ever saw in him in the first place, and no, I don’t want to talk about it.”
Di looked like she had something to say, but wisely thought better of it, clamping her lips shut tight and nodded.
“This is Vegas. I’m with my sister, and it’s almost my birthday. I just want to have fun. For once I want to do what I want to do. And this is it. Now, can you show me a good time, or what?”
With a smile slowly spreading across her face, her sister nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. I can show you a good time. Let’s do it. Vegas, baby!” The last part was said with a shriek, as Diamond hopped off the bed, and threw her arms around Ruby. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get ready! We have a lot of ground to cover!”
Jase rolled over in bed, smiling at the blonde beside him, who had just awoken him with a morning blow job. Now this, this is the life, he thought to himself. Maybe it was the BDSM scene he was tired of—a little wham bam, thank you, ma’am without all the pomp and circumstance had proved to be the cure for his previous ailment.
“Good morning,” she purred, rubbing her naked body against his, as she went in for a kiss. “Ready for round two? Or is it ten?” she asked with a giggle.
It was probably more like six, but Jase didn’t bother correcting her. “Sorry, babe. I have to get to work. Busy day ahead of me. It was fun.” He was giving her the brush off even as he hopped out of bed and started towards the shower.
“But I’m hungry.” The blonde pouted. “I saw a café downstairs. We could get breakfast, and then maybe dessert.” Her eyes were full of innuendo, as she crawled up on her knees on the bed, and reached for the button on his jeans that he had just finished putting on.
He batted her hand a
way. “I told you last night. I don’t do breakfast. I don’t do the morning after, and you have got to go.”
To his disdain and amusement, she pegged him with an expert set of puppy dog eyes as her lower lip protruded. “Jase, darling.” Her hands raked through the thick patch of hair at the top of his chest. “I thought we had a connection. So, you don’t do breakfast. I get it,” she cooed. “What about dinner?”
He bent, scooping her dress off the floor and holding it out to her wordlessly, watching as her eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and hurt as she processed his rejection. He wasn’t a player. He didn’t promise things and fail to deliver. He laid out the terms clearly and concisely. Why did they always think they could change his mind?
“It’s Friday. I’m working. All day and all night.” It was the absolute truth. Not only did he have a busy weekend at Aubergine, he had been helping Pax get ready for the grand re-opening of Rojo this weekend.
With a scowl, she relented, grabbing her dress from his outstretched hand as she stomped off to the bathroom. Filled with relief, Jase went into the sitting room. The least he could do was fix her a cup of coffee. To go. He had been wrong. This wham bam thank you, ma’am was no better than the whole play scene. Just different. The awkwardness came in the morning. For some reason, it had never bothered him before.
When she emerged from the bathroom, he wordlessly handed her the coffee, and she accepted wordlessly, noting the disposable cup with indignation.
“Thanks,” she said with a smirk, opening the door to leave. “And don’t worry about tonight. I’m sure I can find someone better suited to my needs. Jackass.”
Jase laughed at the cheap shot, as he closed the door behind her leaning against it, reveling in the solace of the empty room. He was getting way too old for this shit.
His phone rang, and he snatched it from his pocket, grinning when he saw that it was Pax. “Hello.”
“Is it safe to come in, or you got another one in there?”
“I’m sorry?” Jase winced, trying to play dumb.
“I was on my way over for our breakfast meeting, and I passed a young woman coming from your suite on my way in. Do you have the all clear, or are there more in there?”
Dammit. That was exactly what he had been trying to prevent when he had attempted to rush her out of here. “It’s all clear.” He grumbled. Pax’s laughter rang on echo, both through the phone line and through the door as he knocked.
Jase hung up the phone and answered the door simultaneously, glaring as his buddy entered, still laughing.
“Rough night? Or rough morning?” Pax didn’t wait for an answer, helping himself to a bottle of water from the fridge under the mini bar. “Get your shoes on. Let’s roll. We have a busy day. A lot of ground to cover.” Their first stop after breakfast was the title company. Now that Aubergine was operating in the black, and had been for years, Jase had bought back Pax’s share from him, in order to fund the renovations and upgrades at Rojo. The deal was done; it was just a matter of crossing T’s and dotting I’s.
Pax was already out the door and halfway down the hall before Jase had his shoes on and caught up with him. Slow was not in Pax’s vocabulary. He nodded as Jase caught up. “I still need a good head of security—preferably as soon as possible. I can’t believe Derek punked out on me at the last minute like that. You get ahold of your friend you told me about?”
“Noah? Yeah. He’s very interested. He should be here by lunch time.”
Pax nodded, giving him the side-eye. “Even if he works out and wants the job, there’s not a lot of time to vet him before opening night. You vouching for him?”
“Don’t worry so much. Noah is perfect. If you don’t believe me, ask Adrian,” he said, naming one of the Tanner brothers, who were close friends and regular patrons at Rojo. “He knows them personally and professionally. Ex-cop, professional Dom, what more could you ask for? Noah’s perfect for the job. Trust me.”
Pax nodded, apparently satisfied with those credentials. “I’ll do that, thanks.”
They stepped off the elevator, heading in the direction of the aforementioned café.
“So, what’s on the agenda for opening night? Do you have any entertainment booked?”
Pax shrugged. “With the new playrooms and equipment, entertainment isn’t quite as important. People are going to want to explore, to play around, to check out the new digs. I didn’t schedule anything, but I have a few ideas. Might get one of the girls up there for a demonstration if it seems necessary.”
“Wow. Pax Donovan, playing it by ear?” Jase raised his eyebrows and smirked at his friend, knowingly. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Very funny. Hey, what do you think about birthday spankings?” Pax asked, changing the subject abruptly.
“I think, that they are a lot more fun to give than to receive? I don’t know. I don’t understand the question. Why are you asking?”
“You know how other places, restaurants, and bars, offer like, a free drink or dessert if you tell them it’s your birthday? Diamond thinks we should offer birthday spankings.”
“She does, huh?” Jase mused, leaning across the table to grab a menu. “How would that work?”
Pax shrugged. “It would be voluntary, of course. Maybe put a blip on the drink menu to let people know? I’m not sure. I haven’t given a lot of thought to logistics because I’m not sure how I feel about the idea yet.”
“It’s not the worst idea. Kind of fun, and it might bring in business. What’s holding you up?”
Pax sighed and smiled, shaking his head. “You know me too well.”
“I do. I also know you well enough to know that this idea would usually be right up your alley. So I’m going to ask again. What’s the hold up?”
“Diamond’s sister is here for the weekend. And her birthday is opening night.”
Jase frowned, still not understanding what the problem was. “Yeah, and?”
“And Diamond has it in her head that her sister wants to be spanked—and should have a chance to try it—with no strings attached.”
“Is she wrong?”
“No. She’s not wrong. Ruby would probably jump at the chance. Her fiancé is the stick in the mud type and refused to even come with her this weekend. If it doesn’t happen now, I don’t know that it ever will, and Di is convinced that Ruby just needs to get it out of her system before she marries Trevor.”
“Sounds reasonable. I still don’t see what the problem is.”
“She’s Diamond’s sister! I don’t want to be the one to do it, and Diamond won’t be happy with me picking any random Dom to do it.”
“So? Ask one of the Tanners. They are trustworthy and well respected. Diamond likes them.”
Pax slowly shook his head. “I already suggested that. Diamond said no.” Pax took a long sip of water, pegging him with a hard look before setting the glass down on the table. “She wants you to do it.”
Jase leaned back with a smile, picturing the sultry redhead he had met at Diamond and Pax’s engagement party. “Ah, the truth comes out. That wasn’t so hard to ask, now was it? Sure, I’ll do it. No big deal.”
Pax still looked troubled.
“What gives, man? It took you forever to just come out and ask me, and I said yes, and you’re still looking at me like that. What is your issue?”
“I said Diamond wants you to do it. I’m not sure it’s a good idea. She doesn’t know you as well as I do.”
Jase crossed his arms over his chest and leveled his friend with a hard look. “What? You think I can’t spank a girl without fucking them afterwards? If that’s how you feel, then why have you kept me on your payroll all these years? I’m your main disciplinarian. This is what I do. If you can’t get over yourself, and trust me to give Diamond’s sister a little birthday spanking, but you can let me spank all your errant showgirls, we have a problem, Pax.”
“I trust you, Jase. You know that. You’re like my family. It’s just that Ruby is my fa
mily now too, and I’m not sure this is a good idea, period.”
“I think it’s a great idea. And it’s what they both want, according to you. So whatever issue you have, suck it up. You don’t have to do a damn thing, besides draw up a contract for her to sign. Don’t worry about it. I’ve got this.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Pax deadpanned, throwing a ten on the table for a tip as he stood.
Jase stood also, smiling at his friend’s nervousness. “One birthday spanking coming up.”
Chapter 4
“Yes, sir.”
Ruby watched her sister’s glowing face as she smiled into the phone. It was obvious that Pax was smitten with her, and she with him. Their relationship may not be a conventional one, but Ruby had never seen her sister so peaceful and happy. Especially not since their mother’s death. Her eyes narrowed angrily as she remembered Trevor’s biting criticism at the invitation, and fleetingly wished he had come so he would have seen the truth. Her sister’s choice in lifestyles should not be causing a rift between them like it was. Just as quickly, she remembered that was only one of the rifts and that Trevor was not one to change his opinions just because evidence suggesting otherwise was staring him in the face.
“Get it together, Ruby. He’s an asshole and you’re better off without him. You came here to have fun, not think about Trevor, so just forget him already, would you?”
Diamond’s hand was heavy on her shoulder. “He may be an asshole, Ruby, but he was still your fiancé, and your boyfriend for nearly half your life. You can’t expect to get over it overnight.”
Diamond’s kind words shocked Ruby out of her reverie and made her realize with a start that she must have been talking to herself aloud. “I left him.” She reminded her sister through gritted teeth. “There shouldn’t be anything to get over.”
Diamond smiled softly, gazing down at her with concern. “It’s not that simple though. Ten years is a long time. Do you want to talk about it?”
Claimed (Vegas Nights Book 2) Page 3