Paradise City: Harrison Series Book 1

by L. L. Ash

  “What’s wrong?” He asked and brushed at the tear.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m being so weird. I feel out of place, I guess.”

  “Why do you feel out of place? I’m the one wearing jeans,” he said with another attempt at humor.

  It worked.

  “Believe me. Nobody’s going to care because they’re too busy watching the way it’s molded to your perfect ass.”

  Tyler laughed and I began feeling a bit better.

  “If anyone’s staring at an ass, it’s yours. I promise you.”

  I grinned and played with the shiny fork.

  A man approached us less than a minute later. He was middle aged and had a stiff air about him as he carried a bottle of wine.

  “Mr. Harrison,” he said with a smooth voice and smile.

  “James, What have you got for me today?” Tyler sat back against the chair.

  James smiled and displayed the beautiful bottle. “Château Mouton Rothschild 2000 Bordeaux Red Blend from Pauillac, Bordeaux, France.”

  “That’s a mouthful,” was all Tyler said.

  “Yes well, it’s your restaurant, so you might as well have the best.”

  “That’s thoughtful of you, James. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the tip you expect on a 1500 dollar bottle of wine.”

  He grinned and offered the wine to Tyler. With a sweep of his hand he motioned for James to fill the glasses.

  “Seeing as this is a special occasion I’ll let you get away with it,” Tyler told him, a half smile pulling at his lips.

  “Well it’s nice to be trusted to choose a fabulous wine. Most people ordering anything more than a 20 dollar bottle think they are connoisseurs and know everything about it.”

  “I’ll readily admit I don’t know much about wine. I’m a beer man, myself.”

  James upper lip pulled up in disgust as he poured first my glass then Tyler’s.

  “Yes!” a squeal reverberated through the restaurant.

  Our gazes all shot over to a man on one knee with a black velvet box and a woman bouncing in excitement a few tables over.

  “James,” Tyler said, his voice dropping to a business tone. “Please send them over a bottle of champagne, on the house.”

  James nodded then asked, “Is there anything else you need from me Mr. Harrison?”

  “No, thank you. I’m pretty sure I can pour the rest myself.”

  James dipped his head in a little bow then took off.

  “1500 dollars?” I asked in a whisper when he was gone.

  “James gets a feather up his butt every time my dad or I eat here. We get the best wines for our guests, and I suppose he assumes it’s ‘cause WE like it.”

  “Must be important guests,” I said quietly.

  “Guests that bring in millions,” he said and took a sip of the wine.

  He swooshed it around his mouth before shrugging and saying, “I can’t tell the difference. It’s all just sour grape juice to me.”

  “I’ve never had wine,” I confessed as I looked at the glass filled with dark red liquid.

  “I won’t tell anyone if you have some. After all, it seems a shame to waste it all on me.”

  “I thought you said you wouldn’t buy me alcohol if I asked you naked,” I said, touching the stem of the glass.

  “Is the deal still on?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “No. Because you got it for me without my asking.”

  “Well I won’t do it again until we’re here again for our 1 year anniversary.”

  My eyes shot to him but he was looking down, fiddling with his napkin.

  I took a sip of the wine, letting it’s floral bouquet fill my mouth for a minute before swallowing. Neither of us commented further. Instead we were distracted by James at the newly engaged couple’s table with the bottle of champagne. They thanked him profusely and Tyler smiled as he watched them.

  We sat in relative quiet, exchanging smiles, until Emily came back with 2 plates laden with something delicious smelling. Behind her a man in a black chef’s coat followed. I presumed he was Travis,

  “Tyler,” the chef said with a slight accent that I couldn’t place. “You honor me with your dinner request.”

  Emily laid the plates in front of us and Travis began speaking. “I’ve prepared young rack of lamb, roasted with rosemary and garlic with a pomegranate mint sauce over pureed celery root and sauteed young carrots and haricots verts tossed in butter.”

  “Damn Travis, you’ve outdone yourself,” Tyler said taking a big whiff of the delicious meat.

  “That was my intention,” Travis grinned then turned to me. “And you brought a date that I must impress as well?”

  Tyler grinned and introduced us.

  “Sam, this is our Chef and a good friend of mine, Travis De Vitis. Travis, Samantha Bulliard. My girlfriend.”

  “It’s a pleasure,” Travis said and grasped my hand before placing a kiss there. “A French woman, Tyler? I never imagined. You’re too hot tempered for a fiery Frenchwoman.”

  “Fiery is right,” Tyler grinned and I glared at him.

  “Fiery, but beautiful. It’s my pleasure to meet you Samantha. ”

  “You’re charming enough to tame a viper, Travis.”

  “Fiery,” Travis said with a wink at me, then patted Tyler’s shoulder before saying, “Enjoy your meal.” and walking off toward the kitchen.

  “Anything else you need?” Emily asked, appearing from nowhere when Travis left.

  “No, thank you,” Tyler said and she walked off with a smile, leaving us in relative privacy.

  “So after eating here, you leave peeing gold and pooping dollar bills?” I asked before realizing how crude it sounded.

  Tyler’s eyes widened before he let out a raucous laugh, disturbing our nearest neighbors. He slapped one hand over his mouth and put a palm out to the nearby table in apology. Finally he looked at me with twinkling eyes, lowering his hand to reveal a grin.

  “You have a way with words, Sam.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t think before I spoke...” I told him in embarrassment.

  “Why are you apologizing for pointing out the truth?” he asked, picking up his fork and knife.

  I just shrugged as I followed suit with the flatware.

  After just one bite of the savory lamb my taste buds exploded. Never had I tasted something so flavorful and rich. Sweet and savory with tart and spicy all assaulted my tongue. My eyes widened at Tyler but his were closed as he chewed.

  I tapped his hand with a finger and his eyes opened slowly to look at me. I motioned him closer and he leaned forward.

  “Whoever thinks going down on someone is oral sex obviously hasn’t had Travis’s cooking.”

  Tyler snorted, his mouth still full of food and he covered his mouth again trying to keep from spewing food everywhere..

  “Never at a loss for words Sam. I love it!” he stood from his seat, put a hand to my cheek and kissed me right on the lips before whispering. “While you have a valid point, you’ve obviously never had good oral sex.”

  My cheeks burned and he sat down, a smirk on his face while his eyes smiled.

  Our conversation was relatively rated PG for the rest of the meal.

  After a delicious chocolatey dessert, Tyler left a tip that I didn’t see before we headed out.

  We walked through the casino with waitresses wandering around in sea shell bras and mermaid tail skirts open at the waist in front with shiny turquoise bikini bottoms underneath, high heels and feathery shell emblazoned headpieces.

  They say everything is bigger and better in Texas, but I’d say that they really meant Las Vegas.

  After leaving the hotel through the front doors we got deposited into the throng of visitors. Since it was fall, tourist season was over for the moment, but there were always people trying their luck at the casinos and visiting for the shows. We walked hand in hand for a while until we wound our way to old Las Vegas. The casinos here were
a little worse for wear, having been here for decades instead of only a few years like many of the others.

  Fremont Street came into view and I saw the flashing lights above the street instantly. We walked inside the tunnel of lights just as the last show was ending. When the lights turned white and we could see again, I saw a group of people over at the corner near the middle and pulled Tyler toward it.

  They were all huddled around a street artist making spray paint pictures. I watched in awe for a few minutes until the artist’s picture was finished and he looked up, showing it around.

  “Tyler!” He called and Tyler waved at him.

  “Do you know everyone here?” I asked in a whisper near his ear.

  “Just about,” he agreed and pulled me with him to meet the artist.

  “It’s been awhile since you’ve been around,” the artist said to Tyler.

  “My dad’s got me running ragged for him,” Tyler said while clasping hands, bumping chests and thumping each other on the back.

  “Ah, bringing you into the fold of business. I know that well.”

  They paused in conversation and the artist looked over to me with a confused look on his face.

  “And who is THIS hottie, Ty?”

  “My girlfriend, Sam,” Tyler told him, then looked at me and said, “Charlie Stanburg.”

  “A girlfriend? Never thought I’d see the day. You never settled down once in high school.”

  “Well, I’m not in high school anymore,” Tyler said and turned his head to look at me with an adoring expression on his face.

  The look melted my heart and terrorized me all at the same time.

  “Sorry, you’ll have to excuse me. Gotta see if I can sell a few of these for more supplies.” Tyler waved at him and we melted back into the crowd.

  We waited until we saw the light show about ten minutes later then Tyler turned to me and asked, “You want me to bring you home? Or can I show you something?”

  I looked at my phone clock and saw that it was 10:30.

  “Show me,” I told him, holding onto his arm tightly as we maneuvered out of the crowd back onto the street.

  It was past 11 when we got back into the Triton and we headed straight for the elevator. I wondered where he was bringing me, and assumed he was bringing me to his room, wherever that was. He pressed the top floor button on the tower elevator and we leaned back as it rode up. It only stopped once to let someone on then off again three stories up. When we reached the top He put a key in the elevator and it went up one more story. The elevator stopped and opened, and Tyler took my hand, pulling me out.

  “That’s Dad’s suite,” he said but moved past the door.

  Instead he reached up, pulling a string that opened like an attic door. A ladder folded out and Tyler stepped back and motioned for me to go first. I tried to climb with my heels on, but quickly ditched them and went barefoot, carrying the shoes up while holding on with my other hand. Tyler put his hand on my butt and boosted me up, probably getting an eyeful with my short dress.

  “You should’ve told me to wear shorts and tennis shoes,” I joked as I finally made it up the ladder.

  My laugh quickly died on my lips as my head popped through to the floor of the room on top. My feet hit carpet but I hardly noticed as my eyes were glued to the view. All of Las Vegas was spread about me in a 360 degree view of glass. The room was made up of glass walls in a pyramid shape meeting at a point about 30 feet up. There was a clatter as the ladder folded back up, then suddenly Tyler was behind me, his hands on my waist as I soaked in the view.

  “This is… This is amazing.”

  “It’s my special spot in the hotel. Dad helped me fix it up like a clubhouse after Mom left. Since I grew up I use it as a private place to relax and think. Gets hot as hell during the day though.”

  I looked around the floor now and saw carpet lining the plywood floor. In the center of the 15x15 foot room was a big black something in the middle that I realized was the light on top of the trident spear, making up the tower of the hotel.

  “It’s the light room,” I said dumbly and he nodded while moving away from me to sit on some blankets stacked next to the window with the best view.

  Pillows were stacked there and a cooler sat nearby.

  “Looks like you were expecting company,” I told him, dropping my shoes and clutch, folding my legs to sit beside him.

  He pulled his knees to his chest and circled them with his arms before saying, “I always leave it set up for days when I’m stressed out or bored or lonely.”

  “You get lonely?” I asked, leaning toward him and fingering the collar of his leather jacket.

  The room was easily a toasty 10 degrees hotter than the 56 degrees outside.

  “Everyone gets lonely sometimes,” he shrugged. “When Dad goes out of town on business or he’s busy with guests, I keep myself company.”

  “Well, you have me now,” I told him and he looked over at me with a soft smile lighting his face.

  “For that I’m grateful,” he said and touched my cheek before pulling me in for a kiss.

  “Ever gotten lucky up here before?” I asked after a moment of gentle kisses.

  “Never brought anyone up here other than Dad, so that’s a big nope.”

  “Do you want to?”

  “Are you offering?”

  “Are you going to make me beg?” I asked and ran my tongue along his bottom lip

  “I promise you, you’ll never have to beg,” he said and released his legs, turning toward me and pressing our bodies together as much as he could in the awkward position.

  “Ty,” I asked. “Can I call you Ty?”

  He nodded vigorously between kisses.

  “You called me your girlfriend. Twice.”

  “Aren’t you?” he asked, finally backing up to make eye contact.

  “I don’t know. We never talked about it.”

  “Samantha Bulliard…. What’s your middle name?”

  “Elizabeth,” I said with a giggle.

  “Samantha Elizabeth Bulliard, will you please be my girlfriend? I promise to never let you go without; physically, mentally, or emotionally until the day I get down on my knee and make a whole other set of promises to you.”

  Tears lit my eyes as I kissed him before saying, “I’d love to be your girlfriend. Until you get on your knee and make a whole other set of promises.”

  He smiled and pressed his lips to mine again and we sealed the promise.

  “I love you, you know,” he whispered against my ear before pulling the lobe with his lips.

  I gasped quietly from the tingling sensation and his mouth traveled down my neck while his hands worked into my hair. He grasped the chopsticks and pulled them. My hair tumbled down letting off the scent of my shampoo and his kisses became harder and more urgent.

  “I....” I gasped as he managed to get a breast loose. “I love you too….”

  His head came back up and he asked, “Really?”

  “I have since you gave up the win at the tournament for me.”

  “But I made you lose.”

  “You didn’t care about yourself, you just cared about me, my safety. I was yours, absolutely, from that moment.”

  “You’re amazing,” he said, his hands rose to my face, cupping each cheek as he looked into my eyes.

  “Stop making me wait,” I told him before continuing the kiss.

  He shed the jacket from his back before we pulled the v-neck off his body. My fingers splayed against the smooth skin and he tipped me backward. My head hit a pillow and Tyler started pulling at the purple dress.

  Afraid he was going to rip it, I sprang back up to my knees and turned around for him to unzip me. He made quick work of the top, pulling the whole thing down to my hips before turning me and pushing me down again. I landed with an oomph and giggle and he started yanking the thing off my hips.

  “It’s so freaking tight!” he complained as he yanked. “Did you use grease to get into it?” />
  I laughed while in the process of pulling, he managed to drag me halfway down the bed of blankets.

  “Sorry,” he said when he got it off, flinging it across the room. “Got a little ahead of myself there.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind,” I said, crab-walking backward to settle back on the blankets.

  “Damn, I love that you don’t,” he said and attacked my lips again.

  Together we fumbled with the belt and zipper of his jeans. They slid down on their own once they were unlatched and we were just in our underwear. My dress had a built-in bra so I was just in a scrap of black lace panties.

  His hands slid down my sides, then back up, smoothing over my breasts, already heavy and aching for him to touch them. He knelt between my legs, spreading them open as far as they’d go before dipping his head down, brushing his lips across my stomach, teaching me just how much I loved when he did that. His tongue traced my navel and his teeth scraped gently across the skin beneath until he pulled the lace thong and was at my core, stripped bare like a newborn.

  “You shaved for me!” he whispered happily.

  I gave a little laugh before his head dipped again, running his tongue in an unholy way across me.

  I shrieked and threw my legs around, trying to dislodge him.

  “Going to be difficult?” he asked as he grabbed the pillow next to me before lifting my legs with his arms strung behind my knees.

  He elevated my butt on the pillow, then hunkered down. I pulled and tried to move my legs but his arms were holding me down.

  “What are you doing?” I shrieked.

  “We already determined that you’ve never had good oral. But I’m beginning to figure out that you’ve just never had any, period.”

  “It’s gross!”

  His head popped up again.

  “What do you mean it’s gross?”

  “You’re like… It’s gross down there.”

  “Looks clean to me,” he said, then ran his tongue deliberately between the folds, his eyes still holding mine before moaning softly.

  “Tastes clean.”

  “Ohhh stop it!”

  “You really want me to stop?” he asked as he licked a couple more times.

  My thighs closed around his head and my hips bucked, fighting him.