Chapter 4 #2
I let it connect to voice mail. A second later, the shrill tone starts up once more.
It’s his last attempt at saving his marriage.
If I were actually in love with him, I’d be impressed that he is fighting for me, but I know it’s the shame and guilt pushing him to make things right.
I dismantle the phone, removing the battery, and throw all the pieces in the bin.
And just like that, it’s over.
I don’t take any pleasure in ending our relationship, but I have already learned that if you don’t get out early on then all you are doing is waiting like a sitting duck, ready to be used and hurt.
The conversation could have gone back and forth all day and we still wouldn’t have achieved anything.
The minute he broke my skin, he hardened my heart.
He won’t give in and neither will I. No compromises.
No alternatives. I’m putting myself first.
Having gotten that phone call out of the way, I decide to spend a few hours shopping.
I put some makeup on to try and cover the bruising on my face the best I can, but it’s come out fully now and is very noticeable.
The clothes I packed are few and there’s only so long that I can live out of a suitcase for, I’m going to need more than four outfits just to get me through the next week.
Four hours and countless shopping bags later, I return to the hotel, with a much lighter bank balance but a multitude of outfits from some great stores. I’ve enjoyed every minute of today’s carefree shopping as I took the time to admire window displays and let myself browse as well as buy.
I enter the hotel through a different lobby to the main one.
It takes me past some of the facilities I hadn’t seen yet.
A gym and day spa which I make a mental note to try and book into for a treatment tomorrow.
Maybe I could book Lottie in with me and have a real girlie day.
I’ve missed her so very much and the thought of spending some quality time with her makes me smile.
Further along the walkway is a casino. I stop to look through the large double doors.
It has the trademark colors with cream walls, gold adornments and crimson carpets.
Its tall ceiling makes it look huge and the flashing lights coming from all directions are mesmerizing.
I have been to a casino once or twice with Aaron, but I don’t really know what I’m doing.
It is Aaron who is the pro and I can’t even say I learned anything from him.
He is a serious player and plays to win, poker mainly, sometimes blackjack, whereas I would do it just for the fun.
‘The Promised Land’ has been aptly named and makes me chuckle that people are actually led astray by the flashing lights and the guise of riches.
There is only one winner in gambling and that’s the bank.
“You’re allowed in, you know. That is, presuming you are over twenty-one?”
I recognize the deep timbre of his voice and the vibration of his chuckle, and the sound evokes an acceleration in my heartbeat.
I turn and face the source, already knowing who I will find.
I am awarded with a full megawatt smile, he is clean shaven and smells divine.
His crisp white shirt is open at the collar and his gray slacks fit his hips like they were made for him.
Thinking about it, they probably are. I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face.
“Good afternoon, Mr. King,” I say with a genuine smile in my voice.
“Miss. Jamesson.” He nods, his smug grin stretches across his cheeks and gives me the ‘I know you were checking me out’ look. “How are you finding your stay?”
“I’m enjoying it very much, thank you.” His eyes haven’t left mine and the corners crease making his handsome face softer. “I wanted to say thank you for breakfast this morning. It was very thoughtful of you. Extravagant, but thoughtful.”
“Good, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Will you be visiting the casino this evening?” He nods his head toward the casino doors.
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s not really my thing,” I say nervously with a shrug of my shoulders.
He leans ever so slightly toward me and his voice lowers to a soft growl.
“And what exactly is your thing, Miss. Jamesson?” My heart rate spikes at the way his eyes burn into me, and my mind races with images of what my 'thing' could be.
Every image involves him in one way or another, and I have no idea how he manages to do that to me.
“I … uh …” I seem to have lost the ability to form coherent sentences and I feel my face flush a little. He obviously finds my discomfort amusing as he’s looking at me with a sexy as hell grin plastered across his beautiful face and an eyebrow quirked as if he’s still waiting for my answer.
“I think the spa and salon would be more my thing. I’m not really a gambler. Anyway, I really need to be getting back to my suite, these bags are—”
“Please, let me take them for you.”
“It’s fine, I can manage, really.” I start to walk away, needing to get out of this space but not really wanting to.
In the few encounters we have had, Denham King sends my mind into a spin, but he also makes me feel alive in my soul, and I’m not sure I’ve ever really felt that before.
The mix of emotions is not productive to finding the solutions to my current problems. I really have to keep a clear head.
“You are a stubborn little lady, do you know that?” he calls out after me.
I stop and turn back toward him. He stands casually with his hands tucked into his pockets wearing that smirk.
“And you’re very persistent, Mr. King. Do you know that?”
He looks perplexed as he frowns. “Hmm, I guess I am … so will you? Let me carry your bags?” He jogs the small distance to catch me up and I laugh.
“Will it soothe your ego if I do?”
“Very much so.”
“Fine.” I shake my head with a small laugh. “You can carry them to the elevator. After that, I’ve got it covered, okay?”
“You’ve made my day,” he says with a smile.
He takes my bags, sending little jolts of electricity through me when his fingers brush mine. What is it about him that does this to me? I flex my fingers when I’m relieved of the bags and their weight. My arms feel like they’ve been pulled out of their sockets.
We walk through the foyer and toward the elevator. “So, did you buy half of Vegas?” he says jokingly.
“Let’s just say, I decided it was time for a change of image.”
“Oh really? Well, your image looks just fine from where I’m standing.” He winks and I bump his shoulder with mine.
“Are you always so smooth with the ladies?” I ask, loving the easy banter between us.
“Only the pretty ones with a million shopping bags …”
“I do not have a million shopping bags. There may be ten, but not a million.”
He slows to a stop as we approach the elevator. “So what brings you here to Vegas? Business or pleasure?”
“I … uh … I’m just visiting a friend.”
Shit, I wasn’t prepared for that question.
There’s something about him that makes me want to tell him the truth, but that’s a ridiculous notion.
What do I tell him? That I left my husband because he hit me when he found out I didn’t want children and that I married under a false name because I was running from my ex-fiancé?
“I see.” His eyes skim over the poorly camouflaged bruise on my cheek. “So do you have any plans for the rest of the afternoon, or has all this shopping left you exhausted?”
“No, no plans this afternoon, and shopping is tiring I’ll have you know.”
“You do know that the concierge can get you anything you need?”
“Yes, but I’d feel a little uncomfortable sending the concierge to Victoria’s Secret.” I start to take the bags off him one by one and he grasps his hands around the handles tightly.
“You mean to tell me there’s a bag from Victoria’s Secret in this lot?” He looks like the cat that got the cream and holds up the bags to the light one by one to see if he can see through them.
“No … uh, yes, there is but … oh, you know what I meant.” I swat at his upper arm playfully but the moment my palm touches him I get the urge to keep contact and my fingers involuntarily squeeze to feel his bicep. I force myself to pull my hand away.
“I don’t want someone else doing my underwear shopping is all. Give me those!”
He chuckles and hands the remaining bags over to me, then presses the button for the elevator and the doors glide open. I step in and turn to him scowling, but really I’m fighting a grin.
“Would you consider joining me for a drink this evening?” He smiles a lopsided grin and it creases one cheek, flashing a deep dimple.
“I … um, I already have plans …”
Shit, I hate lying. I really want to have a drink with him, but I can’t, I just can’t.
Disappointment flashes across his handsome face, but he nods and doesn’t press me further. “Well, I hope you enjoy your evening, and if you change your mind …”
“I know where you are.” I press the button for the penthouse, type in the code and the doors start to close. His eyes don’t leave mine until the doors close completely and I breathe out audibly.
My stay at The Kingdom is turning out to be an interesting one.