Chapter 19
Sitting next to Avery, knowing she had nothing on underneath her dress—the evidence stuffed in my pocket—was pure torture.
We decided to grab a drink at a bar a couple hotels over, not wanting to chance Jayson and his new friend running into us after we’d fled the scene.
As much as I wanted to rip the rest of Avery’s clothes off, I loved moments like this just as much.
It was moments like this that gave me the opportunity to continue getting to know her, and with every interaction between us, she was loosening up more and more.
Hopefully, tonight was a chance that we could dig underneath the surface, set aside the small talk, and get to know the deeper side of one another.
Like most bartops in the middle of a Las Vegas casino, this one had video poker machines built into the counter, and in order to sit at the bar, you had to feed the machine.
Vegas really knew how to drain every penny from your bank account.
“Do you ever gamble?” Avery asked as she pressed the ‘deal’ button.
Two aces and three kings were dealt, giving her a full house right off the bat.
“Not really. It’s a dangerous habit to have while living in a place like this. I work too hard for my money to throw it away.” I scratched my beard in discomfort before letting her in on another piece of me. “Plus, my son kind of struggles with it. Last thing I’d want to do is be a hypocrite.”
“That’s really wise of you.” Her voice faded as she added, “I can relate when it comes to not throwing away my hard-earned money. I’d be in even more trouble if I gambled it away.” Her voice wavered with that last part, sounding like she regretted saying anything at all.
My hand found her knee, encouraging her to look me in the eyes.
“Tell me more,” I said, hopefully.
“I’m not sure I should.” Continuing to press buttons on the machine, her eyes refused to meet mine.
“Hey,” I tilted her chin toward me, “I like you, Avery. I want to keep getting to know you. I didn’t judge you when you told me what you do for a living, and I’m not going to judge you for anything else.”
She took a deep breath.
“I like you too, Spencer. I know I told you I couldn’t do whatever this is,” she pointed between the two of us, “but I’m tired of denying myself the happiness I deserve.” Something inside me sparked at her words. She wanted happiness, and there was a chance she saw that with me.
“So, what is it that’s holding you back, Avery?” I swiveled my chair so our knees were interlocked.
“It’s complicated.” She took a swig of her drink like she was desperate for the liquid courage.
“Try me. I found out I had an adult son a few years ago—I know complicated.”
With a shaky breath, she looked to her left, then to her right, almost as if she was scared someone would overhear her. “I can’t quit my job until I make another one hundred thousand dollars.”
She chugged the rest of her drink.
What the hell did she need that kind of money for? And why were the people around me all in deep shit and in need of a desperate amount of money?
Fuck, it was Vegas after all.
At least I could respect her for doing what she needed to do to earn that kind of money, unlike my son who asked me for it with no intention to work it off.
“Do you mind me asking what you need the money for?”
“I want to tell you, Spencer. But not here.” She looked down, fidgeting with the string of pearls around her neck.
“Let me settle the tab and call my driver so you don’t have to walk all the way down the Strip in those heels.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
I fished out my wallet, pulling out a few bills that would cover the bill and then some. Placing it on the bar, I grabbed her hand in mine and walked toward the exit.
Walking through the casino, slot machines rang and played their tunes around us.
An overly drunk woman yelled, ‘Snake eyes! Come on, give me snake eyes!’ as we passed along the Craps tables.
Groups of people clutched onto their drinks while watching a ball spin around the roulette wheel, waiting to see if it would hit their lucky number, only to be disappointed when it bounced into a green double zero that no one decided to put money on. Another win for the House, what’s new?
“Did you ever message your client and let him know why you went missing?” I steered the topic of conversation away from the serious shit, waiting until we got back to my place to bring it back up.
“Well, not exactly.” She giggled. “I told him my stomach was upset, and I was really sorry. But I doubt he even remembered that I left in the first place since Jayson was with him. Remind me to thank him later.”
“I’ll thank him for the both of us. I’m sure he will find some ridiculous way for me to return the favor.”
As we approached the glass doors, I pushed one open, allowing her to walk in front of me. Straight ahead, my driver waited outside of a black Cadillac Escalade.
Opening the door for us, he nodded at me as we slipped into the back seat.
“Here, let me get this.” I reached across Avery’s body for her seat belt.
“Oh, you don’t have to—”
“Let me.” I clicked the seat belt in place, giving it an extra tug to make sure it was secure.
My driver pulled out, heading back toward the Waldorf. What was supposed to be a quick drive down the Strip felt like an eternity. I didn’t want to make assumptions about why Avery needed so much money, but my mind couldn’t help landing on the worst-case scenario.
As we drove down the Strip, Avery turned eerily quiet. Her leg bounced, and her eyes were plastered to the window, focusing on each lit-up skyscraper that passed by us.
My hand reached out, pausing the shakiness in her leg. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.” Even though I had no idea what exactly I was reassuring her about, I only wanted her to feel at ease, because the odds were, everything would be just fine.
“How can you say that? I haven’t even spilled my secrets yet.” She spoke softly to avoid my driver listening in.
“Give me the benefit of the doubt, Bella.” I squeezed her knee.
Thank fuck. The car finally pulled up to my building, and instead of waiting for my driver to get out and open the door, I jumped out, reaching my hand for Avery’s to help her out.
After thanking my driver, we walked through the lobby with my hand secured around her lower back.
I knew once we made it up to my penthouse, shit was going to get real between us. More real than it’d ever been.
Last night had been fun, games, and fooling around. But tonight, she would be opening her heart up to me and spilling a secret I’d been curious about since the moment I met her.
Why did she need to work this job?
My only hope was that it wasn’t as big of a deal as she was making it out to be.