Gambling on Love (Stories of Serendipity #6) (5 page)

She motioned for him to have a seat, and he slid into the booth across from her with the grace of an athlete, so her first question was, “Do you play any sports? What are you good at?” She flipped to a new page on her notebook, after making a brief note about the Jesus Freak, and waited patiently for his answer.

His eyes slowly consumed her while he composed his thoughts. “Well, it all depends on what you’d consider sport. But I do have incredible stamina, or so I’ve been told.” A deliberate smile spread across his face, and Kathy looked down at her paper in an attempt to conceal the flush she knew was taking over her face. This guy was forward.

“Okay…Any medical history? Food or drug allergy? History of illness? Cancer? Heart Disease? Weird genetic stuff?”

He shook his head leisurely, side to side, in a hypnotic rhythm as Kathy spoke. His hand reached for hers, and she found herself watching, trance-like, as his finger made little swirly designs on her palm.

“Ahem. ‘Kay. Are you clean? As in STD’s? Of course, we’ll be tested, if you pass the first two rounds of questioning.”

“Why all the questions? Why not just pay me and get it done. I can make sure it’s pleasurable for both parties. It’s what I do.” His finger continued tracing lines on her palm, sending little shivers up her arm.

She was prepared for some men to ask why she asked her questions, but the second part of his statement gave her pause. “Excuse me?”

“Why do you need to know all this stuff for one amazing night?”

“So that I can know that I’ve done all I can to have a healthy child. If you have a history of men dying in their thirties of a heart-attack in your family, you’ll drop down on the list.” She waved her hand impatiently with her explanation, releasing his grip. “What did you mean, it’s what you do?”

His smile was seductive. “I do this all the time, although I’ve rarely had so many questions thrown at me on the first round. Sure, some people are nervous, if it’s their first time, but I can make you forget your nerves.” His knee rested against hers now, and distracted her further. She shook her head to clear the lust fog this man was putting her under.

“You’re a prostitute?” Kathy sputtered. She wasn’t surprised; this was Vegas after all. She’d heard they were everywhere. But she’d never really thought male prostitutes looked so…so…hot.

As if he could read her thoughts, his mouth curled into a smirk before he replied, “I prefer the term escort.”

Kathy thought about that. If worse came to worse, it was a possibility, but she really didn’t want to have to tell her child that their father was someone who regularly got paid for sex. Never mind that she was stooping to pay someone to father her child, but it was the principle of the thing. She made a notation and looked at the man again.

“I have your number and will call you if no other suitable men are to be found.”

He nodded and stood.

“By the way, how much do you charge?” He told her, and she nearly choked. It was three times what she’d been planning to pay. And she’d thought she was being generous.

“I’ve been told I’m worth every penny.” His voice had dropped to a panty-melting register, and Kathy nodded, as he sauntered away.

“I’m sure you are…”

Three hours and twelve men later, Kathy was sporting a headache that would put her worst hangover to shame. Most were either too old, too homeless, or too spaced out to know what to do with their tool, if she even gave them the opportunity. Two of them had been all three.

She had liked Marvin, in a grandfatherly way, but he probably wouldn’t be able to get it up more than once, if he didn’t have a heart attack in the meantime. Ideally, she would like a man who could do it more than once in their time together, to give her a better chance at getting pregnant.

And she didn’t have a problem with homeless people, per se. They were usually just tragic victims of circumstances, or that’s what she chose to believe, anyway. But it was just so hard to get past the dirt and grime and odor to see what lie beneath. And she wasn’t totally sure they were being honest with her.

She stopped pinching the bridge of her nose to see a man standing at her booth, looking at her expectantly. He was above average height, wore a soft pink polo shirt that had come untucked in front, and khaki shorts. Loafers on his feet completed his preppy look. His light brown hair looked like somebody had run their hands through it, and Kathy felt a little more optimistic about her day. He flashed her a friendly smile and held out his hand.

“Hi. I’m Darrin. I believe I’m next?”

“Yes. Have a seat.” He looked down and noticed his partially untucked shirt, and he hastily tucked it in.

“Sorry. The uh…guys felt awkward waiting in a hotel room all day, so somebody suggested we wait across the street. Less of a sausage fest, if you know what I mean.”

Sausage fest? She was confused by the term but realized quickly enough that it referred to male anatomy, and felt bad for not thinking about the men, being squeezed into a hotel room together with nothing to do all day. Maybe she should have brought a deck of cards or something.

“Right. I’m glad y’all came up with a solution. I’m sorry I didn’t think of that.”

“You enjoying your visit to Sin City, so far?”

“I guess. I haven’t made it out of the hotel yet.” She shrugged.

“You should. You should head to the strip. There’s a club in Belagio’s called the Bank that’s pretty cool.”

“I might after I finish with today.” A night out didn’t sound like a bad idea, especially after this grueling day. Darrin seemed like a nice guy. His brown eyes softened when they looked her over, and she felt a connection to him. She made a note to that effect in her notebook and looked at him, phrasing her first question. “You from here?”

He nodded. “Why didn’t you get a safer hotel? The strip is where the people who aren’t from around here stay. It’s much nicer.” He was conversational and put her at ease. The last guy had scared the crap out of her when he started emptying his pockets on the table to whip out a joint he wanted to sell her. Banging and clanking all that stuff on the table top really did a number on her nerves.

She smiled back at Darrin. “I was trying to save money, but I’m afraid I’ve just made a bunch of trouble for myself. I didn’t realize this was so unsafe, until I got here last night.” She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “So I’ve been wearing one of those belt thingies that hide your money inside. You know, like carrying all my personal effects under my shirt, because I just don’t trust the locks on my hotel door.”

He laughed easily, and it was infectious. Kathy proceeded with the questions and got farther than she had with anyone all day. When she was finished, he looked at her squarely.

“Can I ask you a question now?”

“Sure.” He was number one on her list, why not?

“Why are you doing this? I mean, you’re gorgeous. You seem nice. You shouldn’t have to pay guys to sleep with you.” His honest face was open and eager for her answer.

“My boyfriend didn’t want to go any further with our relationship, and I’m tired of starting all over to find someone who wants to have a family with me. I figured family is more important to me than a boyfriend, so I should just figure out a way to get what I want. You know?”

“But, isn’t this dangerous? I’ve seen the guys that are waiting for you. Aren’t you scared?”

Kathy looked around. The lunch crowd had thinned, but the wait staff was hanging around, cleaning up everything. “I feel safe enough here. There are people around.”

“Yeah, but what if you pick the wrong guy? What if you get a serial killer or someone who just…hurts you?”

She had thought about that but chose not to dwell on it. Honestly, her instincts weren’t always that good with men, but if she thought like that, she never would have gone through with this plan. And so far so good. Nothing really bad had happened yet. So she lifted a shrug in response, hoping it would be enough.

Darrin looked over his shoulder, to see an overweight, balding guy wearing sweat pants and a too-tight tee shirt with C3PO on the chest. His exposed belly looked like an enormous hairy monkey’s butt that Kathy had seen at the zoo with Luke. The man pointedly looked at the plastic watch on his hand, before sighing loudly.

“I see your next appointment has arrived. I hope to talk to you again, soon.” He reached out his hand again for another shake. There weren’t any sparks with this guy, but he was really nice and not too hard on the eyes. Definitely moving to the top of the list.

On the plane, Luke was trying not to come out of his skin. The flights were full, so he’d waited all night and most of the day on stand-by before he could get a flight to Las Vegas. He knew that his chances of catching Kathy before she did something she would regret were slim, but he had to try. If she went through with this, she would be making a huge mistake, and he had to find her and show her somehow.

Kathy had a body that was every teenager’s wet dream. While she moaned and groaned about back pain caused by her huge ta-tas, Luke appreciated them every chance he got. And tonight was no exception. The neckline of the dress she was wearing dipped low, taunting Luke with the view of flesh pressed together, inviting him to stick something between them: his hand, his tongue, his dick. Instead, Kathy had wedged a shot of tequila in there, after he’d licked a trail across one shoulder and sprinkled salt onto the moisture. She stuck the wedge of lime between her teeth, and smiled, teasing him. She knew he wouldn’t be able to do too much in the middle of the bar. Or else she was daring him to.

The Gin was a honky tonk, plain and simple. It was an old, refurbished cotton gin, complete with tin roof, wood slat walls, and giant duct work coming from the ceiling to transport the cotton fluff. The walls were covered with giant posters of scantily clad Budweiser babes, some with light-up nipples. It was a classy joint.

Luke grabbed her slim hips, squeezing them, before pulling her closer, lowering his hands to her ass. He dipped his mouth to her shoulder, licking the salt off, then inhaled deeply of her light floral perfume as he grasped the shot glass between his lips, pulling his head back and allowing the liquor to slide down his throat. He spat the glass onto the bar, and sucked on the lime between her lips, savoring the tangy flavor of the citrus before removing it and going back to her mouth for more.

Kissing Kathy was like nothing else he’d ever experienced. He could honestly get lost in her. The feel of her tight little body pressed against him, as he squeezed her ass, pushing her tits against his chest, the moans escaping her mouth, as his tongue took possession. Her taste. God she tasted so sweet, with the aftertaste of the whiskey sours she’d been drinking.

A chorus of cheers broke through the lusty haze, and he realized they’d put on a show for the entire cluster of people at the bar, his brother included. He looked around, sheepishly, pulling Kathy closer to him. Suddenly, he felt the desire to get her away from everybody else, so he could have her to himself.

His visits to Serendipity weren’t nearly enough for him, but he wasn’t quite ready to move up here. Luke really wished Kathy would move down to Houston to be with him, but she’d already told him she wasn’t interested in moving again. She enjoyed her job. And Connor would kill him if he took away his brother’s best employee. He’d told him so, and Luke didn’t doubt him.

He knew Kathy wanted more from him, and if Luke was honest with himself, he wanted more too. But he was afraid if he moved up here, Kathy would start picking out China patterns and baby booties, and Luke sure as hell wasn’t ready for all that.

He looked down at her and saw her dark blue eyes gazing back at him, full of arousal. As his gaze traveled lower, he noticed her tight dress showed off nipples, big as pencil erasers. This was what he liked about her. Every time they were together, she looked at him like he was the only person in the room.

“Let’s get out of here. I’m over the audience. Can we go back to your place?” His voice was gritty with arousal, as he whispered in her ear. He felt her shudder under his fingers, and his cock twitched in anticipation.

Later that night, after some of the most intense sex he’d ever had, the words slipped out of his mouth. She hadn’t even said them yet, and as soon as they escaped, Luke realized that he meant them.

“I love you, Kathy.”

And now he’d lost her. She was in another state, trying to get impregnated by a complete stranger because he’d been too big of a dumbass to realize what he had.

He utilized every byte of his data plan, booking hotel rooms, calling around, making plans, checking information on the internet, and he was as ready as he’d ever be. Now he just needed to get to her. Amy had been as helpful as she could, giving him the hotel she was staying at. When he’d researched that, he’d nearly lost it. Again. She was staying in some dive, one that probably didn’t have any security features in place. If he found her, and she was still alive, he would never let her go. Ever.

T
he day was the longest on record in Kathy’s life. As the day wore on, and drinks apparently flowed more smoothly at the strip club across the street, her interviewees got progressively drunker, hornier, and more forward. With a relieved sigh she watched the last man, one who had bragged about the size of his penis before actually whipping it out and laying it on the table, stride proudly out the door. He should be proud, but instead of being turned on by the massive member laying flaccid on the table top, Kathy had been more than a little intimidated and moved the prospect further down the list.