by Ella Miles
The elevator doors open, and I step onto the empty elevator. I press the floor for the lobby where I’m meeting Scarlett before we walk over to a nearby club. The ride is long. The elevator stops on almost every floor as it goes down until it is completely full. It does make me happy to see the hotel running at full capacity and getting so much business, despite my indecisiveness with how I feel about running the company.
The doors open to the lobby, and everyone files out. I step off and smile at the passersby as I walk to the center of the lobby where Scarlett is supposed to meet me. She isn’t here yet, not that it surprises me. She’s probably still napping after I made her get up so early to do the commercial.
I plan on taking a seat on a bench in the lobby to wait for her when I see a family arguing with one of our managers behind the desk. I sigh. I guess I might as well make use of my time and see how I can help.
I walk over to the lobby desk with a smile on my face. In my current apparel, I’m afraid people won’t take me seriously. But I’m not going to let it stop me from doing my job.
“Hello, I’m Kinsley Felton, CEO of this hotel and casino. Is there anything I can help with?” I surprise myself by saying CEO although it’s technically true. I’m the CEO.
The man standing with his family doesn’t even question me, like I expected.
“Yes, we booked a weeklong stay here over six months ago. We live in Mississippi and came here for a family vacation, but somehow, this man is saying that you lost our reservation and are booked solid.”
The manager standing behind the desk frowns. “As I told you before, we didn’t lose your reservation. We don’t lose reservations. You will have to go—”
“No, I apologize for losing your reservation. I will get it fixed right away,” I say, moving around the desk so that I can access the computer.
I frown at the manager. I’ll need to have a discussion with him later. He has to learn to speak politely to our customers if he wants to continue working for us.
“Excuse me,” I say to the manager as I take control of the computer.
I scroll through the bookings and realize that the manager is correct. We are completely full. There is one room though that I can give to them.
“Okay, so we are almost full, but I do have one suite available.”
“We booked a single room with a rollaway bed for the kids. We don’t want to pay for a suite,” the man says.
I smile at him. “Not a problem. We will give you the upgrade to the suite for free as a thank-you for being so patient with us after losing your reservation. We will just need an hour to get the room clean. I’ll give you some restaurant vouchers so that you can have a nice dinner while you are waiting in the meantime.” I grab some vouchers for our best restaurant and hand them to the man.
“Thank you,” he says in surprise with a smile on his face.
“You are welcome. I will leave you to”—I glance to the manager’s name tag—“Sean, so he can take your information.”
I smile at them and then turn to Sean. I lean over so that only he can hear me. “Put them in the room I’m staying in and have it cleaned immediately. Have my stuff packed and put into my office. And we will have a discussion later about how to handle customers.”
He nods.
I glance back to the young family. “Enjoy your stay.”
They smile at me, and I hand the two young kids each a lollipop before I leave. I see Scarlett walk into the lobby just as I make my way back around the desk. I smile at her, but she doesn’t see me. Her eyes continue scanning the room for me.
“Scarlett!” I holler.
She turns her head in my direction, and when she sees me, she gasps, followed by a squeal that I’m afraid everyone in the hotel hears. She runs to me and grabs my now much shorter blonde hair that stops just above my shoulders.
“Oh my God! I can’t believe you cut your hair. I’ve never seen you with anything but flowy long hair.” Scarlett takes a step back and takes in the full picture of me with my new lob hairstyle. “I love it!” she squeals again. “It makes you look so much…”
“Older,” I say, finishing her sentence.
I flip my hair back, loving how the lighter locks make me feel.
“Yes, and sassy,” she says, smiling. “You look so grown-up now. Maybe I should try a new do.”
I widen my eyes. Scarlett’s hair is long and gorgeous. Sure, she could pull off a shorter hairstyle, but why should she when her current hairstyle is so perfect for her?
“Really?” I ask.
She thinks for a second. “Nah.”
I giggle. “So, where are we going?”
“A new club just opened two blocks down. It’s supposed to be slammin.’”
I laugh at her language. “What’s so slammin’ about this club?”
“It’s on a rooftop.”
“Wow,” I say when we make it up to the rooftop. “This is…”
“Slammin’,” Scarlett says.
“That’s one word for it.”
Scarlett and I begin the long journey of pushing our way through the crowd to one of the bars located in three of the corners. The fourth corner contains the stairs we just came up. The rooftop view is incredible. It has lights along the railing. The whole rooftop is just one giant dance floor. A DJ is playing loud music against one side. It’s chaotic and loud, and honestly, it’s exactly what I need to distract myself.
I see an opening in the crowd and push through toward the bar closest to us. Scarlett follows as people dance around us. I push my way up to the all glass bar. The bartender sees us and holds up a finger, saying he will be over in a minute. I turn to ask Scarlett what she wants to drink when I notice everyone at the bar has some sort of bright blue-colored drink that looks good. When the bartender comes over, I ask for two of them, and he tells me it’s their specialty drink with vodka and fruit juices.
He quickly makes it, and I hand one of the drinks to Scarlett.
“Thanks, hon,” she says. “To having fun.” Scarlett raises her glass.
I raise mine and clink it with hers before taking a sip of my drink. It’s good.
I take another sip and feel better already. I grab Scarlett’s hand. “Let’s dance.”
“I love the new Kinsley,” she says as we begin dancing in the crowd.
The music is loud and fun. I enjoy dancing with Scarlett. I enjoy just dancing by myself and feeling free while not having to think or talk. I get to just be a normal woman going out on a Friday night.
Two more times, we repeat the process of getting drinks and then dancing with each other, with ourselves, or just with the crowd around us. There are a couple of pee breaks in there as well, but mostly, we’re just relaxing and having fun.
“Thanks for this,” I say to Scarlett between songs.
She smiles. “Happy to help, friend.”
I feel a drop of rain hit my face, and I look up just as rain begins pouring down on top of us. It’s beautiful up here, seeing the rain fall from the sky as the lights from the bar shine up. When the two of them meet, it’s magical.
“Wanna get out of here?” Scarlett asks as several of the people dancing begin making their way back inside the hotel.
“No, not yet.”
I love the feeling of the rain falling on top of us. Scarlett and I keep dancing as the rain falls. Many of the people around stay as well. I love it and hope this never ends because, as long as I’m here, dancing, my world is good. I don’t have to make any decisions here.
I hear thunder in the distance, followed by several more lightning and thunder strikes nearby. That’s when they begin shutting down the bar, and they make everyone go back down into the hotel where it’s safe from the lightning.
When we make it downstairs, there are several employees waiting with towels, handing one to each of us. I use it to wring out my hair and dry off as best as I can. Scarlett does the same before we give the towels to another employee who is collecting them.
&nbs
p; “Ready to head home, or should we try another club?” Scarlett asks.
The sound of the slot machines in the casino draws me in. “Actually, I want to…”
Scarlett sees me eyeing the casino. “Get in on a game of blackjack.”
I nod.
She sighs. I know casino games are not her thing. Her eyes instead follow a group of frat boys who were dancing up on the rooftop earlier.
“Go with them. I just want to get a game or two in, and then I’ll head back.” Although, I don’t know where I’m staying tonight since I gave up my hotel room and I don’t want to stay at home.
She glances from the boys and then back to me. “Are you sure?”
“Go,” I say, waving her on.
She doesn’t hesitate again. She struts up to them, and within seconds, she is welcomed into their group.
I run my hand through my short hair to get the wet strands off my face, and then I make my way into the casino. The lights and sounds welcome me into the casino that I haven’t been in before, despite trying out most of the casinos on the strip. It’s smaller and older than the one in our hotel at the Felton Grand. There are only about a fourth of the number of tables and only half of the number of slots. This casino is themed like a beach or ocean. It’s simple and consistent throughout the casino.
I slowly walk through until I find an open blackjack table and take a seat. Two men about my age sit on the other end across from me. I quickly fall into the rhythm of the game almost automatically. Even when the men across from me try to draw me into polite conversation, I’m still able to count the cards and keep track of the running total.
I win more times than I lose, but it’s not the winning or losing that makes the game enjoyable for me. It’s the weird enjoyment I get from being around people while not actually having to talk with them. It’s the sounds of the slots mixed with the quiet intensity of those playing the table games. It’s the flashing lights that energize me. It’s the subtle smell of alcohol and cigarettes. Even though this side of the casino is a nonsmoking section, it still lingers in the air. It’s my father.
I bite my lip in frustration, knowing that at least half of the reason I love casinos so much is because of him, but now, that reason is gone. But there are still enough reasons left that make me enjoy this, and as difficult of a journey as it’s going to be, running the company, I’m not sure I can give it up—at least, not yet.
I sit here for a while longer, playing more and winning more. I sip the wine that Killian ordered for me the first time we officially met. I feel my eyes begin to grow heavy after a while, and I pull my phone out of my purse to see what time it is, but it’s dead. I frown and look around the casino, but I know it’s no use. Casinos don’t keep clocks or have windows. It helps to keep people playing the games if they don’t know what time it is.
I could ask the other players, but there is no one left at the table, except for me, and the dealer isn’t wearing a watch.
I ask anyway, hoping she has a phone hidden away in her pocket, “What time is it?”
“It’s one fifteen,” Killian says from behind me.
Kinsley sucks in a breath at my unexpected voice. I smile, glad that I still affect her like this because she still affects me. She stands and turns to face me, and that’s when I get a good look of her with her new hair that made it hard for me to recognize her if I hadn’t run into Scarlett and she hadn’t told me where she was.
I suck in a breath at the sight of her dripping short locks.
“What are you doing here?”
I reach out, not being able to stand not touching her any longer.
“I thought I would try something shorter. I’ve had long hair all my life,” she rambles in a nervous voice, which just makes me smile brighter at her.
“Beautiful,” I say because she is. She’s even more beautiful than she was before. “Strong and beautiful.”
She smiles, and a flush forms on her cheeks.
“God, I want you so bad,” I say, my eyes traveling over her dress, her curves, and then back to her bright blue eyes. “But there is so much to say, and you still hate me.”
Kinsley bites her lip. “I used to hate you. Now, I realize who I should be hating.”
I stick my hands in my pockets to keep me from doing something stupid. “And now?”
“Now, I sorta love you.”
I grin and do something stupid. Despite trying as hard as I can to keep my hands firmly in my pockets, they fly out and grab Kinsley. One hand tangles in her newly cut hair that is still wet from being out in the rain too long. The other wraps around her waist where I can see her skin in the middle through the see-through portion of her dress, but I can’t touch her skin. And my lips touch her soft lips while my tongue tangles with hers in a desperate kiss. A kiss that I was afraid I would never get again.
I thought she would still hate me. I thought she wouldn’t believe me, but somehow, she does. Now, I just have to protect her from the truth I just discovered. A truth that is a million times more hideous than what either of us knew to be true.
But, before I figure out how to protect her, I have to have her. I can’t stand that I left her when she wasn’t safe. I can’t stand that I left her feeling like I didn’t love her. I can’t stand that I hurt her. And I can’t stand that, within a minute of seeing her, my cock isn’t already buried inside her because I need to feel close to her. I need to forget what I just learned. I need to forget that, if I choose to be with her past tonight, I’ll be jeopardizing a career that I’ve worked my ass off for.
“Excuse me, ma’am. Would you like another glass of the chateau you were drinking?” the cocktail waitress asks Kinsley.
Kinsley reluctantly pulls her lips away from me. “No, thanks.”
“Sir?”
I smile, seeing that Kinsley ordered the first drink I ever got her. “No, I’m good.”
Kinsley grabs her glass of wine from behind her and finishes the last sip before handing the empty glass to the waitress. “Thank you,” she says, her eyes trained on my lips.
Before the waitress even leaves, Kinsley’s soft, plump lips are on mine, torturing me. I can kiss her, but I can’t get what I want right now, no matter how hard I get for her. I press my cock against her stomach to show her how much I need her, and her eyes open. They are filled with need, showing me the same thing, that she needs me. Now.
I pull away, so my lips are just resting on hers. “Fuck, that look is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
She grins. “You haven’t seen sexy yet.”
She grabs my hand, and then we are walking instead of kissing. I let her lead me a few feet when I tug hard on her hand until she is spinning back toward me. I grab ahold of her neck and kiss her again. She gives into the kiss as I sweep my tongue into her mouth.
She moans just a little, and then she pushes me away, laughing. “You have to stop that if you want more than just a kiss.”
“What?” My eyes widen at her words.
She leans forward until her mouth is at my neck. “If you want to fuck me, you have to stop kissing me, so I can take you somewhere that is not swarming with people.” And then she sucks my neck before pulling away.
I’ve taught her well.
She grabs my hand again, and then she’s leading me off the casino floor.
I frown when she doesn’t lead me to the lobby to get a room. “Where are we going? Shouldn’t we head to the lobby to get a room?”
She bites her lip as she flashes me a wicked grin. “I can’t wait that long. Can you?”
She cocks her head to the side, and I realize I was wrong. This is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
She pulls on my hand again, and we are walking faster down a long hallway and then another. I have no idea how she knows where she is going, but she does. She slows when she gets to the end of a hallway, and then she pushes me into a restroom.
I grin. “You naughty girl.”
Her tongue hungrily slips inside m
y mouth as her arms go around my neck. It’s the most desperate kiss I’ve ever felt from her, and I match her hunger, kiss for kiss.
“God, I want you,” I say.
“Then, take me.”
I lift her legs, and she jumps into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. I slip my hands under her dress, and I grab ahold of her ass that is completely bare.
“Fuck, you’re so naughty, princess. Naughty enough not to even wear underwear,” I say as I carry her to the last stall. I push her inside just in case anyone walks into the restroom.
I push her against the wall and kiss down her neck. I listen to her moans as I kiss each perfect spot on her skin.
“I’ve missed you so much, Killian.”
I kiss her neck again.
“I know it’s only been a couple of days since I last saw you, but it seemed like years. Each day, I wasn’t sure if I would ever get you back.”
I move back to her lips, kissing and sucking. I pull her bottom lip into my mouth and gently bite down before slowly letting it go. “I could never stay away from you.”
“Good,” she says just before she grabs my cock over my pants.
“Fuck,” I moan.
“I missed your cock.”
I raise my eyebrow. “Just my cock?”
She smiles. “I missed you, too.”
She rubs my cock again, and I lose it. I can’t wait a second longer. I can’t breathe if I’m not buried inside her.
Kinsley must agree because she pulls at my pants to unbutton my jeans. I let her undo my pants as I slide one of my hands to her pussy that is already dripping with her need for me.
“You’re so wet for me.”
“Yes.” She reaches into my pants and pulls my cock out before guiding it to her entrance. “Fuck me.”
I pull a condom out of my pocket and slip it on before I push inside her and am rewarded with her moan.
She arches her head back as I push inside her as I hold her ass tighter to keep her from falling. I grab her hair, pulling her to face me so that I can kiss her as I fuck her. She claws at my neck as the thrusts get harder and faster. She gives up complete control to me as I fuck her. She has to since her feet are off the floor, and the only thing she can really do is hold on to me.