Vixen in Vegas (Sinful Novellas) (21 page)

He made a face. “Do we have to, mom?”

Chuckling, I responded. “No nap, no dessert.” I gave him a seductive wink. “And just so we’re clear…
I’m
dessert.” He turned pink then laughed and kissed me before heading out.

Brenda had just sat there and watched me. “You are really good with him,” she said in amazement.

“Well, I love him. We’re going to go make some memories,” I said. “Now let’s focus because I have plans to change.”

We picked some images. We organized for the wedding. Brenda relaxed some. By the time she headed out to her office, we liked each other a lot more. And as soon as she left, I went to work on part two of my morning.

First, I changed our reservations at The Bellagio. That was easy enough. Then I had to cancel a Vegas reservation, and make it a local reservation. I was practically giddy. I couldn’t wait to share all of this with Ben.

I wanted to do everything with him and for him. I wanted nothing but happiness and joy every waking moment for the rest of his days. Honestly, as much as I was trying to accept that we weren’t going to have the forever I had started imagining, I was still hoping for a miracle.

With my work completed, I went up to the bedroom to get changed. While I was up there, puttering around, I started thinking about all my belongings sitting in storage at the moment. It was time to start house hunting while we were in Vegas. That seemed like the most logical place for me to look. The housing market was hot. The prices were reasonable. I would never have trouble finding a renter when I was ready. And I’d own property in a city that meant something to me because of my time with Ben. A thought occurred to me. What was Jolie doing with all of her things? Rather than risk a phone call that would interrupt her workday, I decided to text.

Me: I’m going to start house hunting in Vegas.

It didn’t take more than thirty seconds before she responded.

Jolie: What about CA?

A conversation had begun.

Me: Nope. I don’t want to live here. I think it would make me too sad. I can’t imagine being sad in Vegas. Who does that?

Jolie: Nicholas Cage…more than once. Sharon Stone. Joe Pesci. Robert De Niro was MISERABLE.

By now I was laughing.

Me: Those are movies. I’m talking about real life!

Jolie: Huh. I’ve got nothing.

Me: What are you doing with your things?

Jolie: CA. Can’t buy a house yet…unless my deal comes through. Fingers crossed, but never the legs. ;)

Me: Nice, dirty whore!

Jolie: Takes one to know one. And gurl, I know you in every sense.

Me: Yeah. You do. Love you.

Jolie: Back at you.

Then Ben came home and found me wearing my monokini while I lounged poolside. “Seriously, you have a good life, Alysin Nixon,” he joked.

Walking over to him, I planted a lingering kiss on his lips. “I know it.”

It was still dark when I woke him. With the promise of more sex, I had convinced him to go to bed early the night before. We had eaten a nice lunch on the patio, swam and rested by the pool. For dinner, we had a cook out, then I teased and taunted him into bed with promises of dessert that I more than made good on.

This morning, however, I had the first of many surprises to share with him. “Morning, handsome. Rise and shine,” I said in a low sexy voice.

“How can I rise and shine when the sun isn’t?” He grumbled.

“Please get up. I have a surprise for you,” I pleaded.

He opened one eye for that. “You are dressed. How good can it be?” Then he paused and looked at my face. “This means a lot to you, doesn’t it?” He asked seriously.

Nodding my head emphatically, I could hear him groan. “This will be so worth it, I promise.” Then I raised my pinky to seal the deal.

Instead of raising his pinky, he grabbed me and pulled me onto him. Holding me close, he said, “Morning, Sin. Let’s go make a memory.”

Soon he was dressed. I had asked Lucy the day before if she could maybe pack us a little something to go in the morning. When she heard what I had planned, she had tears in her eyes and hugged me. That’s why I wasn’t surprised to find a big basket on the dining room table. What did surprise me was to find both Lucy and George standing beside it, making sure that they had a chance to send us off.

“Thank you so much!” I exclaimed.

Ben gave me a look. “Are they in on it, too?” He questioned.

“Kind of. Lucy made breakfast.” I pointed to the basket.

“And I’m driving,” George said.

“You don’t have to do that,” I commented. “I don’t mind driving.”

Shaking his head, he explained. “I figured you two might want to nap on the drive home. It will be easier this way.”

Smiling, I thanked him, then grabbed the basket and looped my arm through Ben’s. “Let’s go!” And we all headed out the door.

As we drove closer, Ben started to wake up more. He had stopped guessing the reason for our early morning departure and simply began to enjoy the ride while snuggling with me in the back seat. Then we rounded a corner and headed down a dirt road. Ahead of us was the most beautiful hot air balloon he I had ever seen. It was all rainbow colored and inflated, just waiting for us.

“That?” He asked, looking at me all wide-eyed. I nodded and his look changed entirely. “I love you, Sin,” he murmured in my ear. “You are the best fake wife a man could have.”

“As fake husbands go, you aren’t so bad yourself,” I said happily.

George parked and we stepped out of the vehicle. He carried the basket for us as we made our way to the balloon. Then…it was time. We were given a brief safety spiel before we started to climb high into the sky.

“I can’t believe you did this,” he said. “You amaze me.”

“Get used to it. I have so much more planned for you.” I told him. Then I lay my head on his while we watched the sun rise over the horizon from our balloon in the sky.

George was right. We napped all the way back home. Ben had to go to the office, but promised to return mid afternoon. Ah, but I had to get ready for the wedding and meet Brenda at the tasting cellar anyway. I brought my camera. She had promised to have the room set up so I would be able to get some pictures before there were people. True to her word, when I arrived, the place was gorgeous…simple and elegant.

“I’m lucky that this is a small wedding,” she explained as she showed me around the venue. “I love hosting these events, but I get so stressed.”

I shrugged. “Don’t,” I said simply.

With her jaw tight, she stared at me. I could see it twitching for a moment. “You don’t understand,” she argued before she turned on her heels and prepared to leave the room.

“Wait,” I said. “If there is nothing else for you to learn from Ben, then at least realize that life is short. Too short. You need to enjoy it. Let your hair down, relax, and know that nothing is as big a deal as you think it is. As long as it isn’t life or death, it really doesn’t matter.” I walked around and snapped a few pictures. “This is beautiful. Just don’t forget the big picture.”

She tapped her foot a few times. “And what is that, this big picture of which you speak?” Her eyebrow rose.

“You get to make one day really special for two people. What a gift! Of all the places they could have gone, they picked here. It’s an honor.” I smiled at her. “They won’t remember much about anything, but the feelings. Make them feel special and they will remember you kindly. Be happy.”

She softened some. “You mean that, don’t you?” Once I nodded, she continued. “I don’t know how you do it. I’m a ball of nerves.”

Tilting my head, I considered her comment. “My mom is a wackadoodle. She is stressed and angry so often. It’s a long story, but I learned how to be calm that way. I also learned to not take any shit. I discovered that placating her only fed her crazy.” I laughed at some of the memories. “So, that’s where my no nonsense policy came from. Being around Jolie helped. Being around Ben helps most of all.” I could feel my cheeks coloring. “He soothes my soul. He calms me in a way that I never have been before. I love him. I really really do.”

We might have spoken more, but I heard footsteps echoing off the walls and vaulted ceiling. Moments later, Ben was calling for me. “Sin! Where are you?” He walked through the archway.

“Right here, babe,” I replied. “What’s up?”

“I’m bored without you,” he teased. “Let’s do something.”

Smiling, I said, “I know just the thing.” I waved at Brenda, grabbed his hand and brought him to the golf cart.

“You love this thing, don’t you?” He joked.

Laughing, I agreed, “Heck yeah! Look what I have.” I reached behind the seat and pulled out a long brown paper bag.

“What’s that?” He asked with the exact amount of excitement I had hoped to incite.

“Open it. I should warn you…it’s some assembly required.” I watched as he pulled out the Everly Winery kite I had purchased in the gift shop. There was a look on his face that I didn’t recognize.

Leaning in, he kissed me hard on the cheek. “I’ve never flown a kite before,” he admitted. “This will be fun.”

That’s what Friday afternoon and evening were about…simple yet memorable moments. There was kite flying in the day. Then there were fireflies at night, followed by stargazing from the pool.

“It’s been an amazing day,” he said while we sipped sparkling wine and snuggled.

“Yeah, it has,” I agreed as I sighed contentedly. “Tomorrow is the wedding. Do me a favor?”

Ben leaned over and nuzzled my neck. “Anything for you. Name it.”

Taking a deep breath, I said sternly, “Be nice to Brenda. Be patient with her. She is freaking out. She needs your encouragement. Give it, okay?”

“Wow. You really are asking a lot.” He frowned at me.

“What is it? What’s the problem between you?” I was genuinely confused. By all accounts, twins were supposed to be close, feel each other’s pain, and yet these two certainly broke that mold.

“I think there was some mutual resentment there growing up. She was mad that I needed so much attention. I was mad that she was healthy and could do things.” He frowned. “I thought we had matured past that, but sometimes these thing just flare up.” He shrugged.

“I’m going to tell you the same thing I told her,” I said seriously.

Smirking, he looked at me. “And just what was that?”

Leaning in seductively, I stared into his eyes, then I said, “Get the fuck over it. She’s your sister.”

Throwing his head back, he laughed. “I’m sure she took that well.”

“There may have been tears,” I admitted as I bit the side of my lower lip.

“Ugh. All these crying, overly emotional women in my life.” He chuckled.

Sitting back, I stiffened. “I have no idea what you are talking about. I don’t cry.”

He moved toward me then, slowly, like he was afraid of scaring me off. His face was completely serious. “I know, Sin,” he said as he leaned closer, as his lips drew nearer to mine. “You are too tough for that.”

“That’s right,” I agreed. Only I couldn’t look him in the eyes, I was too busy studying the distance between our lips. I would never make him to do all the work. This was a man I could meet halfway with no regrets, without having to guard my heart. This was a forever man that I could only have for now with. Thinking that hurt my heart, so I refused to do it.