Falling Free: What happens in Vegas... (The Fall Series) (5 page)

Fuck! What the hell was that? There
was one place in the world I wanted to be right now, but I couldn’t. She was
mad as hell and making it impossible, and I had to get away from her long enough
to gather my thoughts. Don’t get me wrong, I expected her to be mad. I expected
her to be furious, but I never expected her to use the dirty little slut defense
so expertly. It was a game changer. It blew my fucking mind.

Before that I planned to comfort
her, explain myself, and try to win her over gently by showing her that I was
interested in more than just her body. Instead I let her lead me by the balls
right into the trap she had so cleverly set. Yeah, I took the bait hook, line
and sinker. Whenever I was around her my big head and little head clashed in an
epic battle of wills. The girl had an effect on me every time we shared the
same air, but I’ve never felt more out of control than I did in that room.

She challenged me, and I called her
bluff. Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t bluffing, and I took everything she had,
all of her. The offer was too good to resist. The way she responded surprised
me. I think she enjoyed it, but if I was wrong I could’ve blown my chance the minute
the clock started ticking.

I considered drinking myself into
a stupor as I plunked down on a barstool adjacent from the lobby, but quickly
decided against it.  When the bartender came over with my usual in hand, I
threw some cash on the bar and made my way back upstairs. The next five days
would go by fast, and I wasn’t about to give up. If I still had a chance in
hell I had to keep a level head no matter what defense mechanism she tried to
use. I had to make her believe that I wanted than just sex.

The safest plan would be to lock
myself in my room for the night and try to forget she was in the bed down the
hall. As cold as that seemed it was the best idea I had, at least until she
cooled off a little. Before heading to my room I stopped at her door and
listened for a sign she might be awake. Nothing. I didn’t want to leave her on
bad terms, so I tapped on the door gently and waited. Still nothing.

“Lo, can you hear me? I just wanted
to say goodnight.” I leaned against the door and tried to explain. “Things got pretty
intense tonight. I couldn’t control myself and… Anyway, I thought I’d show you
around tomorrow. ” As I stood there waiting, seconds felt like minutes. Minutes
felt like hours until I finally gave up. “Good night, Lo.”

TESTING LIMITS

I jolted upright in bed at the
sound of his voice behind my door. Gripping the blankets tightly I listened as
he uttered a veiled apology. He seemed disappointed, distracted maybe, but by
the end of his rambling I was trying not to smile, especially when he admitted
he couldn’t control himself. Maybe I was being too hard on him. Maybe. Then
again maybe Parker was the one who was plotting to betray me. The more I tried
to put it out of my mind, the more I kept going back to it. What was his real
motive for wanting me here anyway?

When my eyes opened again the red
numbers on the clock said 9:00 AM. I was late. I threw the covers back and
scrambled out of bed into the adjoining bathroom. I showered quickly, applied
my new make-up exactly how I was instructed by the sales clerk, and dressed
casually as Mr. Blackwell,
Parker
, requested. I wasted too much time
trying to choose a pair of shoes that would match my outfit yet be comfortable
enough for walking. I wished I had my Sketchers or Keen sandals, but no luck.
Besides neither would go with my Dolce & Gabbana sweetheart dress, which I was
told was for ‘casual wear’.

One last look in the mirror and I
was ready. I could smell the inviting aroma of coffee before I reached the
dining room, and walked in slowly worried he would be disappointed that I
overslept. He was waiting.

“Good morning.” He beamed as I
walked into the room. “Did you sleep well?”

I looked down nervously at my
shoes. “Yes, I’m afraid a little too well. I’m sorry. I think I was exhausted
from the, um…time change.” I bit my lip trying not to smile.

“Yeah, must be the time change.”
Parker laughed and shook his head. “No worries then. Let’s eat and we’ll get
going.”

Parker pulled out my chair, and I
slid in next to him feeling somewhat like a princess. The table had several
large covered dishes, and he removed the lids and scooped servings of each onto
my plate.

“You weren’t up so I took the
liberty of ordering for you,” he said.

“Thank you. I’m really sorry
about…”

He didn’t let me finish. “I know,
I know,” he laughed. “I was just giving you a hard time.”

I didn’t know how hungry I was
until I looked down at the plate of delicious food in front of me and realized I‘d
barely eaten since leaving Michigan. I gobbled down everything on my plate and
more as he talked about the places we would go and things he wanted to show me.
 

“Oh, and we’re meeting my friend
Cole for lunch. He’s an old college buddy of mine who also happens to be my
attorney.” Several seconds passed and I noticed that he talking. As I ate my
last bite, I looked up to find him staring at me with that sultry smile. The
one that was starting to grow on me.

“Oh no. What’s wrong? Did I eat
something you wanted?” I held the napkin to my face feeling it flush.

“No, not at all.” His laugh was deep
and genuine. “You just look very sexy when you’re eating.”

His laughter put me at ease. He
seemed warm and relaxed, unlike the demanding distant man I’d clashed with last
night. He almost seemed like the Parker I used to know, my old friend, and as I
watched him eat I secretly hoped that lunch with his friend would reveal even
more about the time we’d lost over the last seven years.

“Don’t tell me you have some kind
of weird food fetish, Mr. Blackwell,” I joked playfully.

“Parker,” he replied. “Don’t worry,
Lauren, you’ll get to know all my fetishes soon enough.”

I nearly choked on my last bite
of pancakes and washed it down quickly with a swig of coffee.
Damn he made
me hot!
When he talked to me like that I wanted to climb in his lap and
taste the syrup on his lips. I giggled at the thought.

“What’s so funny?”

Feeling sassy, I gave him a taste
of his own medicine. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough.”

The limo took us from one casino
to another, each one more luxurious and over-the-top than the last. I felt like
a celebrity from all the special attention we received. ‘Can I get you a drink,
Mr. Blackwell? And for the lady, Mr. Blackwell? Would you like me to arrange
lunch for you, Mr. Blackwell?’ Several people even stopped us to ask for Parker’s
autograph.

Since this was my first time
gambling, Parker gave me a lesson in Black Jack and roulette. He couldn’t
believe that I’d never been to a casino before, and he was excited to show me
the ropes. I noticed the way his hand rested against the small of my back, and the
way he pulled me against him while standing at the roulette table. Living in
Parker’s world was surreal. We were living in the moment, which is exactly what
I planned to do for the rest of my time with him.

His phone rang as we walked back
to the limo. “Hey, I’m on my way. Yes, and I’m bringing a guest.
A guest,
Cole. Okay, see you there.”

The fact that he said he was
bring “a guest” twice, wasn’t lost on me. Maybe that was code for “not a
hooker”. Who knows? This should be interesting I thought as I wondered whether
or not Parker’s old college buddy/attorney knew about his escort habit. I
laughed to myself at how ironic that seemed. Would he approve? It certainly
wasn’t legal according to my standards, but then again Barry said the money was
for
companionship.
I wonder if Parker Blackwell would pay me $300,000 to
be his celibate companion. The thought almost made me laugh out loud.

“I love seeing you smile. What
are you thinking about?” Parker’s voice startled me from my daydream.

“Nothing really. I was just
thinking that I had a great time today.”

“Glad to hear that. Vegas is
worlds away from Michigan, huh?”

I froze. The last thing I wanted
to think about was Michigan.

”Let’s not talk about Michigan.”
The words came tumbling out of my mouth, and I could see the surprise on his
face.

“Listen, Lo, I live a very
private life. If you’re worried that someone might find out about our arrangement…
If so I can assure you that won’t happen”

I stared out the window, as he
continued to explain, “There are too many people who would use information
about my lifestyle to their advantage, so I need to know certain things about
the people that I let in. You’re safe here, and whatever may or may not be
going on between us will remain private.”

“Certain things like what, and
what do you mean by “whatever may or may not be going on between us?” I
demanded.

“Certain things about people’s
backgrounds. You know that determine whether or not they can be trusted. If I
can’t be sure about the people I’m spending time with I could end up on the
cover of The National Inquirer or something, and that would be a disaster. I
have too much at stake.”

I glared at him, “And?”

The way he was squirming in his
seat trying to get comfortable I knew he was having a hard time answering.
“Listen, I’m not proud that I had to twist your arm to get you to come out here
with me, or that I practically had to blackmail you to get you to take the
money to save The Grand, but it is what it is, Lo. I’d do anything to help you,
and I won’t let anyone get in the way of that, not even you.”

“Practically?” I snapped. “We
both know this is a business arrangement, Parker. That’s what you wanted, and
that’s what you got. I expect you to treat me the same way you treat your hired
help.” I instantly regretted the coldness in my voice. Why couldn’t I just get
over it already? Maybe he didn’t go about this the right way, but his intentions
were good. Why do I keep pushing him?

Parker’s looked conflicted. I
watched as his warm smile faded and his eyes grew dark. His jaw clenched as if
he were switching gears. “If that’s the way you want it, then I’ll need to know
what your limits are.”

“What do you mean
my limits?”
I knew I brought it on, but I sensed the conversation was heading into deep
waters. Maybe a little too deep.

His demeanor had clearly changed
as he moved his head to the side of my neck and whispered into my ear. “What are
your limits? How far are you willing to go, Lauren?”

My cheeks burned in response to
his mouth so close to my skin. “What does your source say, Mr. Blackwell? You
seemed to be well informed” I shot back sarcastically.

“My source, as you put it, didn’t
have much information in that department, so I decided to take a risk. I’m very
good at calculating risk, Lo, and at reading people. I think we’ll both find
out what your limits are very soon.”

His words sent a shiver up my
spine. Something about his mysterious sexual appetite made me curious and very,
very excited. I was scared, but somewhere deep down I wanted to do anything he
asked of me. Feeling restless with anticipation, I was ready to show him just
how far I could go right there in the back of the limo.

Just then the car stopped and the
driver came around to open my door. Our eyes stayed locked together for a few
seconds, neither one of us willing to back down. Now he was challenging me, and
I could tell he was enjoying it as much as I was.

CROSSING THE LINE

Cole stood to greet us as we
walked to a quiet table in the corner of the small lounge. They shook hands and
exchanged the customary, masculine half-hug complete with a pat on the back.

“Who is this lovely lady?” Cole
directed his attention to me.

“This is Lauren. She’s staying
with me while I’m here in Vegas. Lauren, Cole Thomas.” Parker seemed amused by
his friend’s obvious interest in me.

I started to reply when Cole
pulled me up against him and said, “Any friend of Parker’s is a friend of
mine.” The intimacy of the embrace surprised me, and I got a funny feeling that
he was implying something more. I smiled and shook it off.