Chapter 17
We checkinto the Bellagio hotel and arrange to see Sage and Dex later on in the evening. I feel out of sorts and Ari hasn’t been well since the plane, resulting in her being sick into her handbag in the car on the way to the hotel.
Once in the large room, I eye the two separate beds and it annoys me.
Walking into the bathroom, I run her a bath and fill it with bubbles.
“Ari,” I call out softly and she is laid on the bed, curled into a ball.
Smiling, I walk slowly over to her and all I can do is stare at her. She really is beautiful. Too beautiful. Leaning over, I place a soft kiss on her cheek and pull a comforter over her body.
Couple of hours sleep should help.
Then we can have our evening.
Sitting by the window, the strip is alive and thriving beneath us and I am on my laptop working through this month’s accounts. Titus and Kaleb haven’t taken a job in weeks due to Wolfe and it’s showing. We’re okay, for the moment but we need something to keep us ticking over without diving into savings.
Cradling my scotch, I take a mouthful when I hear Arizona stir. Lifting my eyes from the screen, I watch her for a moment.
The room is dimmed with a low light but I can see her silhouette.
“Keaton?” she breathes, and I stand slowly.
“Over here baby.”
Fuck.
Baby sounds too good rolling off my tongue.
“How long have I been asleep for?” she stretches up before climbing off the bed and walking towards me.
“About an hour or so,” I smile as she wraps her arms around me, inhaling heavily.
“I needed it.”
“Do you feel better?” I ask, pressing my lips to the top of her head.
“I do.”
“Good,” her head lifts, falling back gently as she looks at me and smiles. “Want a bath? I did fill it once but when I came out, well… you were asleep,” a soft laugh falls from my lips.
“Would love one.”
“I’ll go sort that for you.” I reluctantly pull away from her and disappear into the bathroom.
She swansfrom the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white towel and I am instantly hard.
Her skin wet and teasing me to touch her.
But I can’t.
Well, I can.
But I won’t.
“You getting changed?” She asks, hair wrapped in her towel as she unzips her suitcase.
“Are you feeling better?” I ignore her question completely.
“Yeah,” she stands, tightening her towel round her beautiful body and I secretly palm myself under the table. “I am.”
“Good, you look better.”
“Now, back to my question… are you getting changed?” I look down at myself and debate it for a moment.
Should have a shower.
Probably stink.
“Suppose I better,” I groan as I push off the seat.
“You sound like an old frail man…” she taunts, and I see the teasing smile on her lips, her shoulders rolled back as she stands a little taller.
“Baby…” my voice is low and gravelly as I close the space between us in one, two, three steps. “We both know that I’m not old, or frail…”
She snorts a laugh.
“We will see how you fair after Vegas, darling,” she sings pulling out a short, black mini dress and drops the towel.
I need out.
And to jerk off.
Dropping my head, I storm across the large room to the bathroom and shout, “No one likes a tease, Arizona,” before slamming the door behind me and I hear her cackle.
After a jerk off or three, I’m dressed in a crisp white shirt, black suit pants and brogues. We’re out in a fancy restaurant tonight then moving to the casino.
Slipping my phone out of my pocket as I wait for Ari to finish her make-up, I get a message from Titus.
Titus
Drinks tonight? It is Friday and I could do with a few.
In other words, you want to talk about Ari and see if you can get shit out of me.
Me
Sorry man, on a date. Maybe next week?
I type back quickly when I hear the sound of her heels click across the floor. My eyes lift and fuck me. She looks phenomenal.
She always looks good.
Especially when she has been thoroughly fucked by me. Hair wild. Eyes glistening. Skin shimmering.
But here. Right now.
She’s a fucking goddess and all I want to do is drop to my knees and worship every part of her. Wavy brown hair styled and sat on her shoulders, red matte lipstick and glowing make-up with cat eye liner.
A mini black dress clings to her body. Cleavage on point in a sweetheart neckline.
Tits look fantastic.
Always do.
Legs never ending. Hem of the dress sitting on the top of her thighs.
It’s short.
Very fucking short. But who am I to tell her to pull it down? Fuck that. Honestly, I don’t even think it’s short enough.
Will have to restrain myself tonight.
Probably won’t.
“Fuck, you’re going to be the death of me.”
She fucking steps towards me, hands on my chest and her heels bring her from five foot four to five foot six.
“I know,” she smiles, eyes fluttering closed before she turns and walks for the door.
And this time I do fall to my knees, holding my chest because she looks that fucking good.
She’s a Queen.
We walk towards the elevator, hands by our sides, mine only inches from his but touching feels too intimate. Casting my eyes down, I watch as his fingers flex before they relax and I am desperate to link ours together, but I do nothing.
Just ignore the tension that is slowly crackling between us, but we both made a vow that we wouldn’t cross that line anymore.
We wait silently as he presses for the elevator and my phone chimes in my clutch. Keaton’s brows sit up for a moment at the distinctive sound and my cheeks flame as I fumble to pull my phone out and I see a message on my cam app.
Shit.
Holding my thumb on the screen, I try to sneak a preview.
TallDarkandHandsome:Where have you been? Do I need to arrange another private room for both of us if you’re going to disappear on me?
I swallow the sickly feeling that bubbles deep inside of me, my mouth watering and I squeeze my eyes shut willing for the wave of nausea to leave as quickly as it came on.
“Ari?” The rasp in Keaton’s voice snaps me out of it, my head turning slowly to meet his worried gaze.
“I’m okay,” I smile, “just come over a little queasy.”
“We can go back?” he offers, and I smile at his kind gesture.
“I know, but I’ll be okay… honestly,” I whisper back just as the elevator doors ping open.
“Okay,” he nods, walking forward and I follow as he presses the button for the ground floor.
Silence fills the small space, which gradually fizzles with soft voices of guests that join us on our descent.
Sneaking a gaze at Keaton, my heart thrums in my chest.
I shouldn’t be feeling this way, but I do. Slowly falling into the forbidden territory which is my dad’s best friend.
Slowly falling for him too.
Wish I could stop, but then again, I don’t.
“Come,” Keaton slips his hand into mine, our fingers entwining and my lips tug into a smile. Stepping out onto the floor, we see Dex and Sage waiting for us. Sage looks a vision and Dex looks handsome.
A red, provocative satin dress wraps around her curvaceous frame, Dex is dressed in a lightly checkered gray suit and a satin shirt which matches the darker gray line on his jacket.
“Well, look at you both,” Dex smiles as he kisses me on the cheek before turning his attention to Keaton, our hands slowly pulling from each other’s.
Sage scoops me up in an embrace before sweeping her eyes over my outfit.
“LBD; classic,” she winks before taking my hand as we head for Picasso’s. I felt out of depth, we didn’t do restaurants like this yet here I am. In the Bellagio, about to go into a fancy French restaurant with my bosses, boss’s fiancé.
Like. Make it make sense.
Pinch me.
Because I feel like this is a little too good to be true.
“You look lovely, by the way,” I say softly as I follow her lead.
“Thank you, babe, so do you,” we slow as we stand waiting for the ma?tre-de to acknowledge us.
After a beat, he lifts his head up and scopes us out.
“Evening, welcome to Picasso’s, do you have a reservation?”
“Yes,” Dex’s thick British accent floats between us, “under Rutherford.”
“Ah yes, Mr. Rutherford, please follow me. You’re on the terrace overlooking the river,” he wiggles his brows a little and grabs the menus.
This place is stunning, it’s as if we’ve been transported somewhere entirely different as we look over the canal giving us Venice ambience.
“Lucian will be over shortly to take your drink order.” He nods curtly then spins and walks away back to his station.
“Wow, this is…”
“Stunning isn’t it. That’s the thing with Vegas, you can be anywhere in the world without ever having to leave,” Sage smiles, resting her hand over Dex’s.
Lucian appears within minutes and Dex orders a bottle of champagne and after checking with us all, orders the tasting menu for all of us, supplementing for the wagyu for our mains.
I only managed one glass of champagne before I politely refused and moved onto a mocktail. With how I was feeling, I was worried alcohol would make me so much worse.
My brows furrow when I notice that Sage hasn’t once touched a drop of alcohol. She is drinking soda water and lime. I’m pulled from my thoughts when Sage turns to face me.
“Have you thought anymore about my offer?” Sage asks, reaching for her glass and taking a mouthful as Keaton tops my glass up.
“What offer is that?” Keaton asks, curiosity lacing his tone.
“About Arizona being manager of Prestige,” she beams at me before her eyes bounce between Dex and Keaton.
“Is that what you want?” he asks me, and I can hear the edge his voice suddenly has.
“I don’t know… I mean, it wasn’t the dream I had once envisaged for myself.” I admit, my fingers curling round the delicate stem of the champagne flute.
“What was it?” Dex asks, elbows on the table as he leans closer to me.
I scoff. “I always wanted to be a doctor…” I pause for a moment, my eyes moving across to Keaton for a beat.
“Then why aren’t you?” He continues.
“Failed my first lot of exams. Didn’t have it in me to beg for another chance…” I sniff, “not that they would have given it to me anyway, I mean, life doesn’t work like that.”
“Surely you could re-do your first-year internship?” Sage asks the questions now.
“And work below my peers that I started with?” I shake my head from side to side, “I’m too proud,” I half laugh, half choke on the breath that caught at the back of my throat.
“If it’s your dream…” Dex says softly, his piercing eyes on mine and my heart drums a little faster in my chest. Dex, God of dream making.
“I don’t know… maybe I have a new dream,” I shrug one shoulder up and am silently grateful that our main course arrives.
Lucian places the tray down on a stand and serves our dinners up, Sage is the only one who has well done steak, the rest of us are medium.
I stare down at my plate, my stomach tightening as the smell of the meat wafts up and my mouth waters.
Not now.
I reach for my water and take a large mouthful, willing for the feeling to go away.
“Are you feeling sick again?” Keaton leans across to me, his voice low as his eyes settle on mine.
I nod but wave him away with a ‘I’m fine’. The less I just focus on me, the better it’ll be.
Moments pass and so does the nausea.
“Are you okay?” Sage asks me, her hand on mine.
“Yeah, think I have a little stomach flu, been like it since the plane,” I sigh, forcing myself to eat the dinner that Dex ordered.
“I have some stomach settlers in my room,” she smiles, and I give her a gracious nod. Keaton catches Lucian’s attention and orders me another glass of water.
My eyes glisten, but I blink away the tears that threaten to present themselves.
“Thank you,” I whisper to him.
“Not a problem.”
Once dinner is finished, Dex and Keaton are up and away from the table settling the bill and me and Sage begin walking to the casino, waiting for them to catch us up.