Cruising the Strip (18 page)

The blonde gave Micki an approving nod and a smile that said,
very nice
, and Micki’s stomach did a little roll. The dice came back to her and she had to look away from the captivating face to place her chips and shoot again. Her come out roll was an easy eight, and excitement built around the table. She threw again—a fever five, then an easy four, and finally, a three and five.

The stickman announced, “Winner eight,” and the guy in Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirt standing next to her clapped her on the shoulder, collected his chips, and left the table. The blonde took his place.

“Nice shooting.” Her voice was chocolate smooth, dark and creamy with a rich aftertaste. Micki’s stomach tightened a little more and her clit bucked in her jeans. She supposed anyone watching would think them mirror opposites, her with her dark hair and eyes and white T-shirt versus the blonde in black. Micki had worn a sports bra, but not a heavy one, and since her nipples were as hard as her clit, she knew they had to be obvious if anyone cared to look. Apparently, the blonde did, because she dropped her gaze for an instant, then looked into Micki’s eyes. “
Very
nice.”

“Thanks.” Micki’s throat was dry and her drink was empty, but she wasn’t passing the dice while she was winning. Besides, she wasn’t sure she was reading the signals right. She couldn’t imagine she was the kind of woman the blonde would go for. Micki had almost as many muscles as her, and she gave off “top” vibes even though that wasn’t always the case. And if she hadn’t been planning to spend the evening in such a public place, she might have been packing. She wouldn’t be surprised if the blonde had a little something extra behind the buttons of her 501s herself. No, the appreciation she was picking up on was probably just friendly approval from one stud to another.

Micki let loose the dice and rolled double fives—a hard ten. Next to her, the blonde placed a huge chip stack betting that Micki would hit the point. Micki wanted to win for her. She wanted to please her. Didn’t matter that she didn’t know her. She just wanted to see her eyes light up again. She rolled the dice, and a relieved sigh flowed around the table when an eight came up, and not a seven. She was still alive. She rolled a six. Then she glanced at the blonde, who nodded encouragingly, and let the dice fly. Double fives came up. Yes!

“Hard ten again,” the blonde murmured, resting her hand in the small of Micki’s back. “You’re good.”

It could be just a friendly gesture, but Micki’s legs went weak. She pocketed her chips and passed the dice to the guy next to her. Then she turned to the woman whose hand still rested on her back. “Let me buy you a drink.”

“I’d like that,” the blonde said, “but I’m already late for an engagement.”

“Oh, sure. Got it.” Of course, she’d have a date. They stepped away from the table and others immediately took their place. People hurriedly brushed past them, anxious to get to their addiction of choice—the bar, the gaming tables, the slots, or just the teeming streets where anything goes and everyone keeps your secret.

“Listen, why don’t you come with me?” the blonde said. “One of the sponsors is throwing this bash, and they always provide
all
the entertainment.”

“What do you do?” Micki asked, stalling while she tried to get a read on the invitation.

“I’m a poker pro. One of the online franchises sponsors me.” The blonde held out her hand. “Fenn Anderson.”

Micki shook her hand, liking the strength in Fenn’s long fingers and noticing that she seemed in no hurry to break their connection. Still, Micki wasn’t sure about this “party” idea. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not certain this is my kind of thing.”

Fenn stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Unless I’m way off base, you and I probably have the same taste in women. There will be some great looking girls there, and believe me, they like playing as much as we do.”

“I guess it’s not your first one of these parties,” Micki said, doubting very much that she and Fenn had the same tastes. Everyone assumed from looking at her that she was into femmes. That wasn’t the case, most of the time, but Fenn sure looked and sounded as if
she
liked the lipstick girls. “Who else will be there? I’m not into guys. That gonna be a problem?”

“Nope. Unless you signal that you’re into something, no one will pressure you.” She grinned, her eyes dancing. “If you just want to watch, that works, too.”

“Even for you?”

Fenn ran her hand down Micki’s bare arm. “You can watch me all you want.”

“Let’s go then.” Micki’s rapidly swelling clit was already calling the shots, and watching would be better than nothing.

Fenn led the way through the casino and out onto the expansive rear veranda where individual cabanas as large as some middle-class family homes ringed an enormous free-form pool complete with waterfall and multiple hot spas. Parties seemed to be going on in all of the buildings, but the artfully arranged landscaping provided natural barriers that dampened the noise and obscured visibility from one cabana to the next. When they made their way down a palm-shrouded walk and inside to a large open room lit by flickering faux-flames in wall sconces, Micki saw the party had been going on for quite a while. Even in the low lighting, she made out the forms of men and women lounging on sofas and oversized chairs throughout the room. More than a few couples were sharing kisses and caresses along with their drinks.

“Looks like we’re late,” Micki said.

“How can we be late?” Fenn slung her arm around Micki’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “We just got here.”

Micki laughed and some of her tension dissipated. She might not be Fenn’s date, but they were together somehow, and she liked that. As they made their way through the throng toward the bar, she tried not to stare, but considering the number of half-undressed people—of all sexual combinations and a few threesomes—flagrantly making love, no one would mind if she did.

“Is it always like this?” Micki asked, signaling the bartender for a beer.

“Yeah, these private deals are wild,” Fenn said, taking a beer of her own. She glanced around the room. “You probably can’t tell, but there are security people all over the place in here. The party’s invitation only, and we were most likely scanned coming up to the front door. You got in because you’re with me, but there are some pretty famous people in here who don’t want the world to know about their party habits.”

“And what are you looking for tonight?” Micki asked.

Fenn shrugged and tilted her beer bottle toward a redhead perched on the arm of a love seat on the far side of the room. The redhead, in a backless, skintight dress that just barely reached the tops of her thighs, stroked a woman’s breasts as the woman busily kissed a third person. Male or female kissee, Micki couldn’t tell.

“She looks wasted on that action,” Fenn observed.

Not surprised that the sexy redhead would be the kind of woman Fenn picked out, Micki took a slug of her beer. She shouldn’t have been disappointed, but she was. “So go for it.”

“You mind?”

“Nope,” Micki said, hoping for cool. “I’m good.”

Fenn hesitated, her expression pensive, then she upended her beer bottle and drank it down in a series of deep pulls. She set it aside on the bar behind them. “Don’t go too far.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.” Micki wasn’t interested in hooking up with anyone. The only person she was interested in clearly had different tastes. But she’d known that coming in, so she could hardly complain. She accepted a refill on her beer from the bartender and shifted along the perimeter of the room as Fenn cut directly through the crowd to the redhead. Fenn held out her hand as she leaned down to say something in the redhead’s ear, and then the two of them moved off to a vacant sofa against the wall. Even though they were in shadows, Micki could see them clearly from where she leaned against one of the pillars in an even darker part of the room. She thought she saw Fenn glance around, imagined that their eyes met, but she knew that was wishful thinking. Still, she watched, because part of her enjoyed watching, and because Fenn had seemed to want her to. Maybe that was why she’d invited her.

It didn’t take them long to get down to business. As they kissed, Fenn caressed the redhead’s breasts, easing her hand inside her low cut dress. The redhead arched into Fenn’s body, sliding one leg over Fenn’s thighs, her dress pulling up to her hips. Fenn pushed flimsy fabric aside and lowered her mouth to the redhead’s breast, tonguing her nipple while stroking the length of her naked thigh. Micki couldn’t hear them, but she didn’t need to. The redhead’s eyes were closed and her mouth open. She had to be moaning as Fenn teased her breast. While Fenn seduced the femme, Micki watched Fenn. She was a practiced lover; that was clear. The redhead was really worked up, her hands all over Fenn, but when she reached down to cup Fenn’s crotch, Fenn diverted her hand. The first time she did it, Micki thought it might have been an accident, but the second time it was clearly deliberate.

Fenn pulled back and murmured something to the redhead, then stared over her shoulder directly at Micki. She grinned fiercely, then gave the redhead a bruising kiss. Micki felt sweat trickle down her back. Fenn was getting off from knowing she was there. Being on the outside was exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. Micki glanced around and when she saw that no one was looking, she squeezed her crotch, pressing her thumb into her hard clit. It didn’t help. It only made her want more. She wanted to do more than watch. And somehow, she knew Fenn knew that. She should leave, but just then, Fenn slipped her hand under the edge of the redhead’s dress and pushed up between her legs.

Micki’s stomach clenched as the redhead writhed into Fenn’s lap, her mouth against Fenn’s neck, her hips rising and falling to the stroke of Fenn’s arm between her thighs. In her mind, Micki heard the redhead’s cry as she climaxed, and the paean of pleasure mocked her.

“I can help you with that, lover,” an exotic dark-skinned woman with a sultry voice said as she edged up to Micki and covered Micki’s hand where she still gripped her crotch.

“Thank you,” Micki rasped, moving both their hands away from between her legs. She hadn’t intended to masturbate in public or have someone else do it for her. She mustered up a smile, and noted that the woman was more than just pretty. If she hadn’t already had Fenn’s face burned into her mind, she might have been tempted. “I’ll keep for a while.”

“I’ll be here,” the woman said, moving away with an indulgent smile.

Micki checked back on Fenn’s action just in time to see the redhead curl up contentedly in the corner of the sectional and Fenn stalk rapidly toward a hallway at the back of the room. Uninvited, Micki followed. When Fenn ducked through a doorway, Micki pushed in behind her. She knew exactly where Fenn was going and why. She’d done it dozens of times herself. The restroom was small, with only two stalls, and they were both empty. Micki reached behind her and locked the door.

“Enjoy the show?” Fenn asked with a smug grin, leaning her ass against the granite-topped counter surrounding the sinks.

She looked cool and self-satisfied, but Micki knew better. “How long will it take you to get yourself off now? Thirty seconds? A minute? That’s what you came in here for, isn’t it?”

Fenn frowned. “Look—”

“No,” Micki snapped, grabbing Fenn and spinning her around toward the counter so hard that Fenn grabbed the edge to steady herself. “
You
look.” Catching the mixture of surprise and unmistakable arousal in Fenn’s reflection in the mirror above the sinks, Micki’s clit finished stiffening. “It’s your turn to watch.”

“If you’re pissed—”

“I’m not.” Micki kept one hand on Fenn’s shoulder, forcing her forward and slightly off balance, and reached around with her other hand to unbutton her fly. “You wouldn’t let her touch you. But you’re going to let me. Aren’t you?”

Fenn shivered lightly and spread her legs, her eyes meeting Micki’s in the mirror. Her voice was barely a whisper. “Yes.”

Micki angled her hips so her crotch rode against Fenn’s thigh. The contact only made the spiraling pressure in her clit worse and her control slipped a little. She shoved her hand into Fenn’s jeans. “Oh, Jesus, you’re so fucking hard already.”

Fenn grunted softly, her hands white as she clenched the counter for support.

“Did fucking that pretty little girl turn your clit into this rock?” Micki grated, working her thumb and finger roughly up and down Fenn’s clit. When she got no answer, she twisted.

“No,” Fenn said, sounding as if she were strangling. “You watching me fuck her did that.”

“And this is what you always do after, isn’t it?” Micki picked up speed, sliding the slippery hard length between her fingers.

Panting, Fenn pumped into Micki’s hand. Sweat flew from her hair and misted Micki’s face. In the mirror, her eyes were dazed. “What?”

“Isn’t this what you always do?” Micki demanded, her mouth against Fenn’s ear. “Make the girls come and then go off somewhere alone and jerk off?”

“What do you think?” Fenn groaned defiantly.

Micki slowed down and gently massaged Fenn’s clit with her fingertip. “I don’t
think
, I know.” She tapped rhythmically and Fenn twitched. “You do it because they don’t know how to give you what you need and you won’t ask.” She tapped again and Fenn tried to pull away. “But
I
know.” Micki bit down on Fenn’s bicep and pinched Fenn’s clit at same time.