Chapter 1

Allen

It was time to shake things up from my usual routine.

I raised my hand to the bartender who nodded with an easy smile. He brought me another beer, and I glanced at the baseball game on TV as I thanked him.

On Thursday nights, I’d normally play poker with some of the cops I worked with, but tonight, I’d made other plans. I was around those guys enough. I wanted company of a different kind this evening.

After working a lot of hours, I needed the release. I was a workaholic, so I didn’t do it often. Besides, I took my job seriously which means I didn’t fuck around like some of my buddies did. I saw too many cases fall through the cracks due to quickie flings and bad choices. Being undercover all the time meant I was even more careful to see every case through to the end.

But being a cop took its toll on my private life. My head was always in the game and I needed to keep my ass safe and catch the bad guys. I had no time for a relationship. That’d be dangerous both for me and for her. Being in love would make me vulnerable when I needed to be tough. And there’d always be the risk that the crooks would use her as leverage to get to me. No. That shit wasn’t for me. Even if I did sometimes feel lonely.

It also meant I worked too goddamn hard and needed a break from time-to-time. I wasn’t made of steel. My current case just ended, so I had a small break until my next assignment. My captain would see to it that the break wasn’t for long since he appreciated my work ethic. I was one of the few officers he didn’t nag on a regular basis. Not that I could blame him. There was some crooked stuff going on in this city.

I heard someone sit next to me and turned my head to see a pretty blonde seated on the barstool. She looked a few years younger than me but legal, and I grinned. I watched her as she glanced around the bar. Her eyes landed on me, appraising me eagerly as she blushed.

“Evening. What are you drinking tonight?” I asked her confidently as she smiled.

“I’d love a lemon drop. Thank you,” she told me.

I ordered the lemon drop and another beer from the bartender. He verified the age on her driver’s license before setting the drinks in front of us. Old enough. I turned to her.

“I’m Allen,” I offered as I extended my hand towards her with my most charming smile, knowing that this was in the bag as she looked at me with wide blue eyes through long lashes and sipped her drink. She was new to Vegas, no doubt, hoping that she could make it big here.

“I’m Lily,” she told me as she shook my hand and smiled back.

“What do you do?” I asked her, wanting to get right down to the fact that she was new to town.

“I just arrived from Wisconsin. I have a girlfriend that offered her couch to me until I make it as a dancer here. I figure if I make it anywhere, it’ll be a place like this.” She had stars in her eyes as she spoke.

While I appreciated her motivation, I also knew that dancers were a dime a dozen here. Most of them ended up stripping or doing obscure parts in the big casino shows, but I wouldn’t burst her bubble.

“What do you do?” she asked.

“I’m a security guard at a casino,” I offered vaguely. I felt bad about lying but, in my business, it was better that way.

Her eyes widened and eyebrows raised slightly as she sipped her drink and leaned closer to me.

“I think you’re gorgeous, Lily. A girl like you will definitely make it here in Sin City,” I continued.

She giggled at the reference, and I stared at her full, pink lips as my cock hardened. It had been too fucking long for me. I knew she was twenty-one since the bartender had checked her license so I felt fine continuing with this.

“Thank you. That’s so sweet.” Her cheeks turned rosy as she tilted her head down slightly, peering up at me through those long lashes. “I’ll bet this is an exciting place to be for you.”

“That it is. There’s always something happening, from drunk guests to the occasional attempted robbery, sometimes more.” She leaned even closer, revealing a tempting view of pale cleavage as she asked for more.

I knew about casinos, and that’s what I kept this conversation to. I wasn’t going to blow my undercover gig even if I was off-duty. So I acted like I was just a security guard as I described a funny robbery in which the person couldn’t start their car after getting the winnings from some clueless tourist. Then I told her a story about some college kids attempting to count cards who got caught within an hour of their scam. There was plenty more to tell her, but I kept it all clean, hinting at a little more without giving names and details.

Vegas had a dark side to it. She’d need to be careful. I hoped she knew that. We kept drinking and talking, and, as the night went on, I found out more about Lily. She was fresh out of college and looking for some excitement in her life. I chuckled as I assured her she’d come to the right place. Talking to me seemed to get her amped up. She kept drinking and listening to me, licking her lips, and staring into my eyes. I’ve been told my total package of bright blue eyes, blond hair, muscles, and confidence have a certain effect on women.

Since I lived just down the street, I had a few more beers than usual and felt a good buzz when I glanced at the TV to see one of the late-night shows beginning. By this time, she had moved closer so her hand could touch my arm and wander down to my thigh.

“How would you like to join me for something to eat?” I asked, feeling around the situation.

“That sounds great. I’m famished.” Her eyes told me she knew what I was asking as I took care of the tab. I stood and offered her my arm, noting that she only had a purse with her.

“I’ve got something to fill your appetite,” I said, hoping she’d get the double meaning.

“Actually, I have to be honest.” She glanced around and then leaned in to whisper in my ear. “My rate is $400 the night.”

I could feel myself frowning but I kept my face concealed in her hair. How did I not see this coming? Was I feeling that lonely I didn’t see the signs?

Out of all the filth in this town, prostitution got to my heart. Some girls were no angels but no one should ever have to sell their bodies to unknown men. Women were better than that, and Lily was a sweet girl.

If I could, I would have kept all the girls off the streets and bust their pimps’ asses as hard as they could punch. But there were so many, so tonight I’d have to settle for keeping one nice girl out of harm’s way. It’s not like I was overloaded with extra cash, but I’d been doing amazingly well at poker lately.

I’d take her home, but I wouldn’t touch her.

I didn’t do hookers. And no matter how much I wanted to get off, I just wouldn’t do it with her. I pursed my lips thinking about the wasted opportunity and I felt my dick in my pants twisting with disappointment.

“Deal,” I finally said to her.

“Are you staying close by?” She smiled and placed her arm around my bicep, her eyes dazed with lust as she felt my solid muscles.

“Just down the block. My roommate is at work, so I thought I’d get out of the apartment for a while. I’m glad I did,” she gazed at me as I pushed the door open and turned right to head to my house.

It was in a nice neighborhood just a block away from the upscale sports bar. We chatted and walked together, my eyes scanning the area rapidly while we walked. There was no way that she was walking home later tonight, but I’d worry about that later. Lily snuggled into me, babbling about her home state as I listened, playing along. She clearly felt safe with me. I turned down the main street that would take us to my house.

I unlocked the door and held it open, letting her walk in first.

“This is nice,” Lily told me as she walked in and examined the spacious, sunken living room with a smile.

I had a nice house, furnished well in neutral grays and black with white trim and pops of color. The realtor had hooked me up with a decorator who took care of the details. I wasn’t a fancy guy but I liked a clean, comfortable house. It was small with just the two bedrooms, but it was just me for the time being. No need for anything more, and I preferred the backyard to being inside anyway.

I locked up before dropping my keys on the table just inside the door.

“It’s home to me,” I said with a wicked smile as I pulled her hand to turn her towards me. “I’m not going to fuck you.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, her eyes searching for an answer in mine. She stepped towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck to meet my height. She tried to kiss me but I just stood there, my lips closed shut.

That last beer had made me a little dizzy, but I blamed exhaustion more than anything else as I fought with my desire to ram my hard cock into her. I knew how to make a woman wet for me, and I knew I had to stop this before it even started.

“I want you,” Lily breathed against my mouth before she tried to kiss me again. Her hand went down to my throbbing package, eager to bring it out to play. “I can tell you want me.”

I wanted to grip her curly hair and bend her over my bed and fuck the ever-loving hell out of her. But instead, I pulled her hand away and stepped back. “I’m not fucking you,” I repeated. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your money. But what you need is to be taken off the streets and have someone take care of you for a change.”

She looked at me with wide eyes, trying to understand what I had just said to her. I fought with my resolve. Couldn’t I just fuck her good and hard until she cried my name? I wanted to come so deep inside of her pussy that my whole length was aching with desire.

But no. I didn’t do hookers.

“Don’t look so surprised,” I said, heading for the kitchen. “You said you were hungry and I’m going to make us something to eat and then we’re going to watch a movie.”

Lily didn’t come on to me after that. She chatted to me like old high school friends. She threw off her shoes and we ate pizza on the sofa watching Lethal Weapon. It’s wasn’t the night I had expected, but it was fun.

I got up to go to the John and, when I returned, Lily was passed out. I looked her over, curled up on the sofa. I didn’t have to worry about her walking home now. I caught up on some stuff on my phone, before setting the alarm and getting into bed for a few hours of sleep.

Lily made quick work of taking a cab home the following morning, sober and grateful. I made coffee and headed into the station, going right to the captain’s office since he had sent me a text telling me he needed to see me right away. I tapped on his slightly ajar door as he barked at someone, and I smirked at the young cop who stumbled out at the orders to leave.

“Get in here, Rogers.”

“What do you have for me?” I asked, sitting down as he slid a thick folder across the worn, oak desk.

“Are you hung-over?” Captain Patterson asked me, glaring at me with his intense brown eyes.

“I had some drinks last night to relax, but I’m fine.” I reached for the folder as he told me about a possible prostitution ring working out of a local club that needed to be shut down. It looked bad. I nodded while I glanced through the folder. “I’ll get with Brandon on this, and we’ll scout it out.”

I took everything to our office and discussed the case with Brandon. He’d become one of my best friends since we’d started working together five years ago. He had a way of getting sidetracked at times, but he was a hell of a partner.

We made plans to go to the club the following night.