CHAPTER 11
TILLIE
The water was cool, bright blue, and sparkling in the sunlight as I entered the pool, the water engulfing my thighs and then my hips, until I was waist deep in the shallow end. I turned back to the house, smiling as a steady stream of cats of all shapes and sizes scurried from the open patio door, their tales held high, curled above their backs proudly.
I gestured for them to come closer, as they lined up at the side of the pool, watching me, until they were all present, lining up like a platoon of loyal soldiers waiting for my command. I walked closer to them, the water sliding between my thighs like a lover’s caress. Reaching up, I scratched the chin of the closest one, a big, black beauty with thick, sparkling fur that shone like onyx in the sunlight. He pressed his head into my palm, purring loudly.
The others broke rank, crowding around me, mewing and purring, fighting to get my attention. I rubbed the ears of a bright orange Tabby, his big green eyes wide and blinking.
Stepping back slowly, I watched as they swirled their slinky bodies around each other, winding together like a tangled rope of snakes. Lifting my arms above my head, I bowed to them, smiling, before quickly lowering my hands, inviting them into the water.
One by one, they jumped in, their bodies splashing through the surface and then bobbing back up, their fat paws pedaling under their bodies as they swam over to me, surrounding me as they swam around in a circle.
Playfully, I played with them, splashing them lightly with water and swimming around next to them. Blinding sunshine beat down on us, my face warming under its rays. Bending my knees, I dunked under the surface of the water, the water cooling my skin deliciously.
I stood back up, the water rolling off my face and hair as I opened my eyes.
They were gone…
Frantically, I looked around, searching for my cats, my heart pounding with fear, like a drum in my chest…
I woke in a panic in my hotel bed, my breath shallow, my heart in my throat. Darkness surrounded me and I forced myself to take a deep breath, and then another.
Just a dream…
A silly, stupid dream, but a dream that I’d had countless times before. I shook my head, irritation rising in my throat.
It was Reggie’s fault.
I’d been having this exact dream ever since he’d made the stupid prediction during one of our rare arguments in the midst of our divorce that I was going to die an old cat lady, alone with nothing but a bunch of ‘tomcats’ as he called them, to keep me company.
I’d begged to get a cat since we’d first gotten married, but he hated cats. As soon as he was gone, I’d gone straight to the shelter and picked out Milo and Leo. Reggie complained about them every time he stopped by the house.
Sometimes, the dream changed a little. Sometimes, Reggie was watching from a lounge chair and laughing at me. Sometimes, the cats wouldn’t jump into the pool. But more or less it was always the same.
Just as he’d predicted — me and a bunch of cats growing old together. I hated Reggie for planting that image in my brain and I hated that I’d internalized it so deeply that I couldn’t stop dreaming about it.
It made me feel weak, and the last thing I wanted was to feel weak.
I’d been making progress the last few days, so I was surprised to have the dream tonight, but there it was in all its stupid glory, reminding me once more of Reggie’s words.
“Fuck you, Reggie,” I said aloud to the empty room. Jumping out of bed, I walked over to the curtains and threw them open, letting the bright sun pour into the room, banishing the darkness of the dream.
I’d learned some things yesterday and I was excited to carry them into the sunlight of a brand new day. Anything was possible, that was the main thing I’d come to learn, and it was a very pleasant lesson to accept.
Last night, I’d decided to shrug off the plans Mario had made for me today, which included going skydiving in the desert and then going to a water park, both of which sounded like way too much adventure for me. Instead, I opted to do some upscale shopping at Caesar’s Palace and hit the roulette table again. After that, I planned on winging it for the rest of the evening.
For the first time, I didn’t have to fight off the urge to stay in my hotel room. After a delicious breakfast at a cafe downstairs, I took a taxi over to Caesar’s and spent the day buying anything my heart desired, using last night’s winnings to pay for it all.
It was the first time I’d bought anything with my own money in years and it felt incredible. Not that I felt bad about spending Reggie’s money. In my opinion, all those miserable years with him had felt like a job in itself. I’d earned every penny of the divorce settlement.
But still. Knowing I’d made the money myself was a jolt of happiness that was new and fresh.
And very addicting.
CHAPTER 12
RICHIE
Next to sex, sleeping is my favorite activity.
Getting interrupted during either of them is not something I enjoy.
The sun pouring through my bedroom window had been threatening to pull me from my slumber for the last few hours, but I’d never been an early riser and I was pretty damned good at ignoring it.
What I couldn’t ignore was a group of whispering, giggling men, entering my room like a bunch of preteens at a slumber party. Daine, Blaze and Fox surrounded my bed and I opened one eye to greet them.
“What the hell do y’all want?” I growled.
“We came in to talk to you, but that,” Daine said, pointing at my morning hard-on, jutting up below the sheet, “is much more interesting.”
I pulled a pillow over my crotch and opened the other eye.
“Can’t this wait?” I asked. “I’m obviously sleeping.”
“No, because Fox and I are going for a hike in a few minutes and we wanted to talk to you before we left,” Blaze said.
I sat up with a sigh, shaking my head.
“Fine, what is it?” I asked, running a hand through my hair.
“Daine told us everything,” Fox said.
I looked over at Daine and shook my head, “What the fuck, dude?”
“You know I can’t keep a fucking secret to save my life, Richie,” he said, frustrated that I’d even expected anything different from him.
“It doesn’t matter,” Fox said. “You should have come to us.”
“For what?”
“For help. Daine said you were trying to get a loan, that you’re serious about buying the club. You won’t get a loan without a considerable down payment.”
“I have a down payment.”
“It’s not enough,” Daine said, shaking his head. I glared at him. I couldn’t believe they’d woken me up to talk about the one thing I was trying to escape from in my sleep.
“You don’t know that,” I growled.
“Yes, we do,” Blaze said. “My uncle is a banker. I called him. He told me for a loan that big, you gotta have perfect credit, a solid business plan, assets and a significant amount to put up front.”
“What are you saying?”
“You don’t have enough,” Daine said. “But together, if we all pitch in, we can scrape it together.”
“What?” I asked. “I’m not taking your money.”
“Why not?” Fox said. “We can be partners.”
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s a lot to ask. If I fail — which is most likely to happen — fine, it’s my ass on the line. I’m not comfortable with bringing you all down with me. It’s not right.”
“Fuck that,” Blaze said, shrugging. “We’re offering. You can’t say no. And besides, if you don’t get the loan, we all get our money back and we still have our jobs. We can’t lose.”
I shook my head, my thoughts spinning. They still had no idea Barry was going to close the club down in just a few months. I felt a huge pang of guilt for not telling them.
No matter what, I had to find a way to save the club.
“Let’s just wait and see what the banker says, okay fellas? If I need your help, we’ll talk about it then.”
“Fair enough,” Fox said. “We’re heading out to Mt. Charleston. You wanna come?”
“No, thanks,” I said, as they started walking out. “Hey. Thanks, that’s real cool of y’all to offer up your life’s savings.”
“What are friends for?” Daine said, smiling.
“Apparently not for keeping secrets,” I quipped.
“Oh, shut up,” he said. “Are you still hard?”
“Get out!” I said, throwing the pillow at him.
“Oh, you are! What a python you’ve got in the morning, Richie!”
“Yeah, yeah, they don’t call me the king of dick for nothing, now get out!”
He laughed and closed the door, leaving me alone with my guilt.
And my raging morning wood.