I wheeled the luggage bag across my apartment and walked it down the stairs. I was risking everything by revealing that I had her stuff, but I hoped having it back would be enough to keep her fingers away from her cell phone. Once I got close to the exit I could hear the sound of her crying. I left the luggage inside the door, but walked outside with her camera. She didn’t even look up at me.
“Here.” I sat down on the steps next to her and pulled the camera off my neck.
“You had it all along.” She lifted her head and took it from me, immediately turning it on. “They’re still here.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’m sorry. I have your luggage inside and you can have that back too. I don’t have your tablet or any of the other valuable stuff, but at least I can give you this back.”
“Maybe you aren’t such an asshole after all.” She pulled the camera close to her chest.
“No, I’m definitely an asshole.” I sighed and shook my head back and forth. “This whole thing was stupid anyway. What kind of person steals luggage?”
“An asshole?” A smile actually crossed her face.
“Yeah...” I nodded with a sigh of remorse. “Let me get your bag.”
“I won’t call the cops.” She looked up at me. “I probably should, but I’m just grateful to have my stuff back.”
“Hopefully I didn’t ruin your vacation too bad.” I opened the door and rolled her bag outside.
“It is definitely looking up. Maybe I’ve still got time to catch one of the tours so my day won’t be a total waste.” She wrapped her hand around the handle and it lightly grazed mine.
“You’re not paying someone to show you a bunch of landmarks are you?” I chuckled. “They don’t even show you the good stuff.”
“Well I got to see Dixon’s Bar and this... apartment complex for free—or forty bucks, depending in your perspective.” She turned away from me. “Thank you for giving me this stuff back. I guess I should be on my way.”
“Wait...” I followed her down the steps. “Why don’t we consider that forty dollars to be a down payment on a real tour of Las Vegas. Let me show you around.”
“Um.” She looked back towards me. “I’m not really sure I should trust you.”
“Come on.” I tilted my head and smiled. “I’ll show you where the bodies are buried.”
“That doesn’t inspire confidence.” She raised her eyebrows.
“It’ll be better than any of those commercial tours, I promise you.” I took a step back. “Let me grab my keys.”
“Fine...” She shook her head and sighed. “I guess you do owe me one.”
“What is your name anyway?” I put a foot on the steps. “Obviously you know my name is Vincent.”
“Peoria.” She smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Peoria’s her name—okay, that's why it was in all those pictures.
Chapter 7: Peoria
T here was no reason for me to stay behind when Vincent went into his apartment. I didn’t have all my stuff, but I had enough to make a clean getaway without a bit of remorse. The forty dollars I gave him was nothing compared to the lifetime of memories I had gotten back. I had a chance to turn my vacation around and I was actually starting to feel excited about Vegas again. Fiona hadn’t responded to any of my text messages since I finally got out of bed which was a sign she was still angry at me. I sent her another one to let her know I had my stuff back—or most of it—but there was another round of silence from her end. I wasn’t sure Vincent was trustworthy. For all I knew, I would be joining all the bodies buried in the desert before his supposed tour was done.
There was something about him though—some glimmer of kindness behind the tough exterior that was covered in tattoos. He was also hot-as-sin, despite being an asshole. Everyone seemed to have a Vegas story, and I wasn’t sure any of them would top mine. Before my brain could rationalize whether I should just leave or not, Vincent appeared at the door again with a set of keys in his hand.
“Ready to see the real Vegas?” He reached for my luggage when he got close to me.
“I think I’ll just hang onto this.” I pulled the handle away from him.
“Suit yourself. Come on.” He motioned for me to follow and we started walking towards his truck.
I finally relented to letting Vincent put his hands on my luggage again when we got to his truck, but I kept my camera firmly around my neck and clutched in both hands. Before I could open the passenger side door, he opened it for me and helped me climb inside. I leaned back against the seat and looked out the window as he started to drive.
Trusting him seemed like a dangerous thing to do, but there was something that attracted me to him. I had no way to explain it, but after being so emotionally drained from losing my stuff and having Fiona ignore me, I liked the simplicity of sitting in the passenger seat and listening to him describe each landmark we approached. His voice was smooth and sexy with a bit of a rasp that accentuated the inflection he put in each description. I could have listened to him talk all day, but after a couple of hours passed, I found my eyes drifting towards my left to look at him more than I was looking at the sights he pointed out. He caught my stare a couple of times and smirked when I shifted my eyes back towards the window.
“How about some lunch?” He pointed up ahead to a building that didn’t look like it was in much better shape than Dixon’s Bar.
“That place looks like it serves salmonella.” I raised my eyebrows in concern as he turned his truck into the parking lot.
“What?” He chuckled and his voice immediately shifted to the same silly tone he used to describe most of the landmarks we passed. “This is the world-famous Newton Burgers—Elvis used to eat here every time he visited Las Vegas. They even have a picture to prove that their burgers are worthy of the King.”
“That sounds suspect—and it doesn’t look like they’ve painted the place since Elvis ate here.” I stared at the building as the truck rolled into a parking space.
“Trust me—best food in town.” He exited the truck and walked around to open my door.
The building might have been run down, but when I nervously bit into cheeseburger, I no longer doubted that it was a good place to eat. The burger was amazing, freshly grilled with a hint of hickory smoke that reminded me of the burgers my father cooked at home. He wasn’t lying about the quality of the food at least.
Vincent had a beer with his meal, but I decided to just go with a soda. The beer I had at Dixon’s Bar wasn’t my favorite and I was pretty sure my future experiments with alcohol would remain in the wine category. We made small talk as we ate and shared a few stories from our lives. Vincent seemed to have lived a rough life, which wasn’t anything like mine. The toughest choice I had to make was whether to go straight to college or get a job—I had chosen the latter but I was still holding out hope for college one day.
Vincent was a lot nicer than I had originally expected and when he took my hand to help me back into the truck, I felt a tingle. My hand lingered in his and our eyes met for a moment before he finally pushed the door closed. I had never felt that kind of attraction before and I didn’t even know how to deal with it.
“So what else do you have to show me?” I looked over at him as he climbed into the truck. “I haven’t seen any bodies yet.”
“I told you—they’re buried.” He chuckled and started the engine again. “We already passed plenty of them.”
“Hmm.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I feel like you tricked me—I thought I was going to see bodies.”
“How about a casino?” He looked over at me.
“Can you really afford to gamble? You were stealing luggage for money.” I leaned against the window, but kept my eyes on him.
“I got forty dollars in my pocket—I’m a high roller.” He winked at me.
“I should have made you pay for lunch then, Mr. High Roller.” I scoffed at him but immediately smiled. “A casino does sound fun though.”
Fiona finally
replied once we got back to the strip, but all she sent was the word good in lower case letters. It seemed like a cold and callous response to my excited message about getting my stuff back. She didn’t even ask how I managed to get it.
Vincent parked his truck and we locked my luggage in the cab, but I still kept my camera with me. I snapped a few candid pictures of Vincent as we walked and then took some of the casino. It was bustling with activity and the noise was a roar. Vincent cashed in his forty dollars for some chips and I matched it with forty dollars of my own. I had never gambled before, so I didn’t expect to win anything.
Vincent quickly explained the rules to Blackjack as we approached a table. It sounded easy enough—nothing more than a math game. I took my seat beside him and a waitress immediately walked over to serve us drinks. I asked for a glass of red wine and Vincent got a beer. The stakes at the table were low, so it seemed like we could probably have fun while we lost all our money.
“Hit me.” Vincent tapped the felt table.
“Hit me too.” I smiled and nodded, imitating his tapping motion against the table.
“That’s a mistake.” Vincent shook his head. “You’re already at sixteen.”
“Shit.” I muttered under my breath when a Queen landed on my pile.
It was clear after a few hands that I had no idea what I was doing and Vincent had a very clear understanding of the strategy behind the game. He had explained it well, and the math made sense, but my faith in the cards seemed to be misplaced. Every time I believed I could somehow win, I either busted or ended up too low to actually win anything. When I thought it was a losing hand, people around me busted and I came out on top. I lost twenty dollars as he made money and before long he was up over a hundred dollars. He lost a few hands after that and I managed to get a few chips, but I was right back to losing money after that. The cycle seemed to continue until I didn’t have any chips left and he had a mediocre pile. I considered buying more chips, but Vincent handed me a few after we left the table.
“Here’s the forty I owe ya.” He grinned and closed my hand on the chips.
“Shouldn’t they all be mine? It was my money you were betting with.” I nudged him in the ribs.
“You’re lucky I’m even paying you back.” He looked at me and growled.
“Fine... Where can I lose this?” I looked around the casino.
We played a few more games and every one of them seemed to do nothing but steal my chips while Vincent somehow came out ahead. Gambling was definitely a losing endeavor. I checked my phone again after a couple of hours had passed, but didn’t have any new messages from Fiona. I wondered if she was going to stay mad at me the whole vacation. We were close enough to the hotel for me to walk back and try to fix things, but I was enjoying my time with Vincent. I had envisioned losing money with a smile on my face while Fiona did the same right next to me, but Vincent was a suitable replacement if she wasn’t going to respond.
I ran out of money again and we walked over to the window so Vincent could cash out his chips. I was already trying to figure out how much money I could afford to lose the next time I visited the casino when we walked outside.
“It’s getting dark.” I looked up at the sky.
“Let me show you one of my favorite places in Vegas.” Vincent reached for my hand as we walked towards his truck.
There was something about his touch that ignited a feeling I had never felt before. I liked it. I liked being around him and just feeding off of his energy. He was so different than anyone I knew back at home. His carefree attitude and general demeanor was exciting. He helped me into the truck again and his hand lingered on mine even longer than it had before. I watched as he walked around the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. I found it hard to take my eyes off him. He drove as the sun continued to go down, passing several landmarks we had already seen, but he still narrated them just as enthusiastically as he did the first time. The difference was that I was looking at him instead of the scenery outside the window. He finally pulled the truck to a stop on a hill and turned off the lights. I was instantly amazed as I saw a full view of the city spread out beneath the rocky landscape.
“Oh wow...” I opened my door, but before I could get out of the truck, he came around and helped me down.
“I used to come up here a lot when I was younger.” He held my hand and we walked to the edge of the hill. “There are plenty of places where you can see the city at night, but this one has the best view I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s beautiful.” I lifted my camera with my free hand and started snapping pictures.
“Not as beautiful as you are.” He turned me towards him and I let the camera hang down from my arm as he stared into my eyes.
“I bet you say that to all the girls you bring up here.” I tilted my head and smiled.
“Only if I plan to kiss them.” He put a hand around my waist and pulled me close.
His lips met mine and I felt fireworks going off in my head. It was my first real kiss and I had no idea what I was supposed to do. His hand moved up my back and held my neck as I felt his tongue start to slide into my mouth. My lips were crushed underneath his and he ravaged my mouth with the intensity of his passion. My heart raced so fast in my chest that I thought it would beat clean through and we were close enough that I could feel his matching mine. I did my best to match the fury of his kiss as I felt real desire for the first time in my life.
I had been on a few dates, but they never ended with anything more than a peck on the cheek or a light graze of a kiss that ignited nothing inside me. I was certainly feeling something with Vincent—something magical that I didn’t even know could exist. We stayed locked in the embrace and the world seemed to fade away. I didn’t care about the vacation, the lights of the city or Las Vegas. All I cared about was the man holding me close and the fire of his lips as they formed a perfect seal against mine. When they finally pulled away, my breath came out in hurried gasps.
“This is crazy.” I looked into his eyes, seeing the reflection of the city in his steel-colored gaze. “I don’t even know you.”
“I bet you know what I want to do to you.” His hands moved down to my hips. “You feel it too.”
“I...” My eyes shifted away as his gaze seemed to intensify. “I’ve never done that.”
“You’re a virgin?” He put his hand on my chin and turned my head back towards him, locking me in his gaze once again.
“Yeah.” I nodded and sighed.
“That’s okay.” He leaned closer and let his lips touch my ear. “What happens in Vegas...”
“I can’t...” I shivered when I felt his tongue tease my earlobe.
“Yes you can—you want to.” His lips moved to my neck.
“I shouldn’t...” I tensed up when his lips sent another surge of excitement through me.
“Shouldn’t isn’t can’t.” He kissed my neck again.
I felt enthralled in the fiery desire boiling inside of me. Every rational thought in my head was telling me no, but my body was desperately trying to say yes. My pussy was starting to get wet and I could feel it leaving a stain on my panties. The only time I had ever felt that kind of desire was when I was alone in my room exploring my body and thinking about having a moment just like the one I was in. Vincent wanted me and I wanted him too. I certainly didn’t want him to stop.
He pulled away and walked to the truck, shifting the seat and pulling a blanket out from behind it. He spread it out on the edge of the hill overlooking the city and pulled me into his arms as he sat down. His hands moved back to my neck and he started to kiss me again with the same fury as before. I was going to lose my virginity to a man I didn’t know—a man that seemed intent to adding my innocence to the list of things he had taken from me. It would be one thing I couldn’t get back if I gave in to my desire, but my lust was making it too difficult to pull away from him.
“Don’t fight it.” He slid a hand under my shirt. “You know you want it too.�
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He pulled my shirt over my head and the camera strap got tangled in the sleeve as he put it on the blanket next to us. My hands traced the outline of his muscles that were tight against his t-shirt. I tugged until it was over his head and I could see his powerful chest and all the tattoos that adorned it. His shirt landed next to mine and he squeezed my breasts through my bra, rubbing his thumb along my left nipple as it pressed against the padding. His touch sent a tingle through me and I leaned towards him when his hand moved behind my back and started to unfasten my bra. It fell off my shoulders once the clasp was opened and he kissed my shoulder where the strap had been. He pulled on it until it was off and then pulled me close until my exposed breasts were pressed against his chest.
I could feel his heart beating fast against mine again as he held me in his embrace and ravaged my lips with his eager tongue. He moved his hand down to my leg and rubbed my thigh underneath the bottom of my shorts before sliding underneath them.
“I’m going to pull these off and lick your pussy until you’re begging for me to fuck you.” His lips moved to my ear and his voice came out as a raspy gasp.
“Oh god...” My whole body shook when I heard his words echo in my ear.
Vincent shifted me until I was on my back and his hands pulled at my shorts. He pushed a hand into the waistband and started pulling them down along with my panties. I was nervous, but at the same time, I was extremely excited with my lust burning up inside me. My shorts slid down my thighs and landed on my ankles before he pulled them off. I was completely naked on the blanket, fully exposed to a man for the first time in my life. His lips started kissing along my knee and he pushed my legs apart. His kiss moved up my inner thighs and sent surges of excitement through me. It was such a strange feeling, but I didn’t want it to stop, especially when his lips moved to the tender area where my thighs met my pelvis. His tongue moved along the crease for a moment before he started kissing along the edge of my labia. His tongue flicked against my wetness and my body tensed up. It felt amazing, so much more so than anything I had ever done when I explored my body with my finger.
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