Chapter Seven

The next morning was awkward, but not the type of exciting awkward we’d encountered yesterday in the tent. I’d slept like crap, and last night’s rejection that left me feeling sad had morphed into anger. We sat at a Waffle House filled with truckers and retirees. I stirred my coffee and let the spoon clank loudly on the table.

“Everything okay, Princess?”

“Fine.” I avoided eye contact and stared out the window as I sipped my coffee. It was bitter…and so was I.

Chance leaned back against the booth and splayed his arms along the top of the seat. “I may not be an expert in women, but I know enough about them to know that fine means definitely not fucking fine.”

“Well, apparently you don’t know me. Because fine means fine.”

He ignored me and continued with his analysis of one simple word. “And the speed at which the fine is delivered is directly proportional to the level of pissed off.” He drank his coffee and tipped the mug in my direction. “And your fine came pretty damn quick.”

The waitress interrupted as we glared at each other. “Everything okay here?”

“Fine,” I snapped. My response came so fast and sharp, the waitress was taken aback.

“Sorry. It’s her time of the month, and she gets like this.” He shrugged, and the waitress looked at him apologetically. I think she actually felt sorry for him.

I waited until she walked away. “Could you not do that?”

“Do what?”

“Make up stories about me.”

“I’m not sure it actually was a made up story. You’re quite the fucking bitch this morning. Maybe that’s your problem. Is it your time of the month, Aubrey? Is that what’s bothering you?”

“I’m not a bitch and no…that’s not what’s bothering me.”

“So you admit something is bothering you then?”

“What is this, a deposition? Are you a lawyer now? I thought you were an ass model.”

Chance glared at me; I glared right back. At least I’d sufficiently pissed him off enough to shut him up for the rest of our meal. We ate in unhappy silence and then Chance took the goat for a walk before we started back on the road.

He took the first shift driving. Five minutes into the trip, my phone was buzzing. Harrison’s name flashed on the screen. “Aren’t you going to talk to loverboy?” He asked facetiously, but I answered with honesty.

“No. I make it a point to only be an idiot once. He showed me who he truly was with his actions. It doesn’t matter what he says with words now.”

His eyes flashed to mine and then back to the road. We were quiet for another hour after that.

“What do you think about another detour? Sin City for a night or two?”

It made me sad to answer, but spending two more nights with him wasn’t a smart idea. I was already feeling something he wasn’t; putting some distance between the two of us was the right thing to do. “I should probably just get to California.”

He actually looked sad about my answer, which confused me even more. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”

Hours later, knowing it would be our last full day together, a feeling of melancholy settled in. We stopped to fill up and, as usual, Chance was sucking on a Pixy stick when he returned to the car.

“Want one to suck on?” He whipped a fistful of long purple sticks from his back pocket.

“No thanks.”

“You sure? You look like you could use a good suck.” He winked at me.

“Why do you do that?”

“Eat sugar?” We loaded back in the car. Chance was driving again.

“No. Make remarks with sexual innuendo to them all the time.”

“Guess my head is always in the gutter when I’m around you.” He pulled away from the pump and navigated out of the parking lot.

“Except last night.” I mumbled under my breath, apparently louder than I intended.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Can we not rehash last night? I felt like an idiot enough. You don’t have to pretend to be attracted to me to make me feel better today. I’m a big girl.”

“What?” His brows drew together. “Is that what you think? That I’m not attracted to you?”

I shrugged and rolled my eyes.

Chance muttered a string of curses and pulled off to the shoulder of the road. We hadn’t even made it a mile since the gas station stop. At this rate, I’d never get away from him. He threw the car into park and got out, slamming the door hard behind him. The whole car shook with the strength of his anger. I watched from inside as he paced. He tugged at his hair as he walked back and forth on the dirt, grumbling something to himself. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I didn’t need to in order to be sure it was a whole lot of four letter words.

What the hell was he angry for? Because I called him on his crap? Because I’d made him feel bad for rejecting me? I was glad he was pissed…because so was I. After a few minutes, I got out of the car, too.

“You know what, get over yourself. Someone finally called you on the little game you play. Being rejected sucks,” I scoffed. “Although, I’m sure you don’t know the feeling at all.”

Chance stopped pacing and stared at me. The muscle in his jaw ticked and he looked like he was near blowing. I wanted him to blow.

“You know what else? Plenty of men find me attractive. I don’t even care that you don’t. You’re no different than Harrison. Saying one thing and doing another.”

Well that did it. The explosion came. Although, it definitely wasn’t the one I saw coming. Chance stalked to me. He looked so angry. I backed up until I was against the car with nowhere else to go. Then he invaded my personal space. One arm reached out on either side of me, caging me in between him and the car. He lowered his face to mine and spoke with our noses only inches apart.

“You’re right about one thing, Princess. I’m not attracted to you.”

I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing tears, although inside my heart was slowly breaking. Then he continued.

“Attracted was what I was when I saw you that first day in the store. Playing with that little bobblehead. I thought you were beautiful. Gorgeous even. But now, I’m not attracted to you anymore. Now that I’ve gotten to know you, it’s not attraction.”

I wanted to tell him to go screw himself. But even as he was saying terrible things to me, I was mesmerized by him. The way his eyes turned from blue with a hint of gray to gray with a hint of blue when he was angry. The way his chest heaved up and down and damn if he didn’t smell good, too. I stood there and waited for the rest of his rant. Because, let’s face it, I wasn’t capable of doing anything else.

“Now that I see what’s really behind that bitchy façade—a woman who was hurt badly yet still willing to put herself out there because deep down she’s a romantic—attraction doesn’t come close to what I feel when I look at you. You really want to know what I feel when I look at you now?”

Somehow, I managed to nod my head.

“Attraction is way too tame for what happens when I look at you. I want to fucking conquer you. Watch your beautiful face as I sink deep inside of you so hard it borders on pain. I want to bury myself so far that you won’t be able to walk for days. The only thing that could possibly be more beautiful than your face when you smile at me, is your face with me inside of you.”

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine. “So yeah, you’re right. I’m not attracted to you. It’s more like I’m captivated by you.”

I was pretty sure he had to feel my heart thundering in my chest, even though our chests weren’t touching. “I don’t understand then.”

Chance lifted one hand to my face and cupped my cheek. He caressed my face tenderly before his hand slid down to my throat. A long moment silently ticked by. My heartbeat was under his thumb when he finally spoke. “I wish things were different.”

The next few hours of the drive, my emotions were in turmoil. We were both quiet, although there was no longer an angry tension in the air. I was confused, to say the least. When we started to see the signs for Las Vegas, the only thing that was clear in my jumbled head was that I wasn’t ready for this trip to be over.

“If the offer is still open, I’d like to take the detour.” My voice was quiet, almost hesitant.

Chance glanced over at me, a solemn look on his face at first, then a slow grin spread wide. “You want to sin with me, Princess?”

Did I ever.

I couldn’t believe we’d found an animal boarding facility to take a goat. The woman at the front desk didn’t even bat an eyelash when we’d asked if she could keep our passenger for a night or two. Something told me they’d seen a heck of a lot stranger stuff in Vegas.

We parked at the end of the strip and decided to walk along Las Vegas Boulevard until we found a hotel that jumped out at us. The sun was scorching hot as we walked along the pathway that traveled from one end of the infamous strip to the other. I pulled off my white t-shirt, leaving only a very tight nude colored tank top. I didn’t usually walk around that exposed, but the sweat was already beading down my back. Laughing, I draped the t-shirt around my neck and walked ahead of Chance, glancing at him backward over my shoulder.

“Remind you of anything?” I teased, posing exactly how he was positioned in the poster I’d found for sale all over the internet.

“Cute.” He shook his head and chuckled. My mood was growing better as we walked. A street mime surprised me as we passed and took my hand. He pulled a flower out from up his sleeve and presented it to me, holding my hand up to his mouth for a kiss. Chance grabbed my hand and tugged me away before his lips could reach my skin.

“Hey. What did you do that for?”

“We’re in Vegas, not Kansas. You don’t let strange guys put their lips on you.” My initial reaction was to be annoyed. Then I realized Chance hadn’t let go of my hand after grabbing it. We were walking hand in hand, so I figured why argue if you like the end result.

At the Mirage, we visited the white tigers, at the Bellagio, we watched the water show set to music. We walked for what felt like miles in the hot sun before we stumbled upon the Monte Carlo. A huge sign for the The Pub at Monte Carlo hung from the side of the towering hotel.

Arrogant Bastard.

It was a beer, and we were hot and thirsty. What other sign did we really need to know we’d found where we should stay?

The cold air conditioning inside The Pub hit my sweaty skin causing a chill that shook its way through my body, leaving a small tremor behind. Goosebumps broke out on my arms and legs, and I didn’t have to look down to know they weren’t the only thing protruding from my skin.

Chance’s eyes lingered on my pebbled nipples for a moment but then rose to meet mine. I arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Can you put those things away?” He shook his head and forced his eyes down to the bar menu.

“I can’t help it. They have a mind of their own. They stand at attention whenever they want.”

“I know the feeling,” he grumbled while shifting in his seat.

“What can I get you two?” the scantily clad waitress asked. Chance didn’t look up but responded quickly.

“Two arrogant bastards, please.”

I liked that he didn’t even notice the waitress. “So. What do you want to do tonight?”

“The usual. Blackjack, boobs and booze.”

“Pardon?”

“When you come to Vegas, you come for three things: playing cards, half-naked women and partying like a rockstar.”

A busboy brought us utensils and smiled at me. Chance noticed.

“We already got the half-naked woman covered,” he grumbled.

“So, let me get this straight. You like half-naked women. Just not when one of them is me?”

The waitress brought our beer, and Chance chugged half of the oversized mug in one long gulp. God, what is it with me and that Adam’s Apple? Watching it, I felt it bobbing in the pit of my stomach.

“I like you half-naked. Just…in the car or a closed tent. Not prancing around town for everyone else to see.”

“Were you dating Piper when that poster of you hit the stores?”

He squinted. “That’s different.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“My being naked from the waist up, doesn’t have the same effect as you walking around with that little flesh-colored tank top with your massive tits bouncing up and down.”

I sipped my beer. “Wanna bet?”

Chance’s eyebrows shot up. “Princess. Are you being brazen again?”

“Do you like brazen?” I asked with a sinister smile.

He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re trying to kill me. I knew it.”

We both ate ridiculously large hamburgers and washed them down with our even larger mugs of beer. I was going to need a month long cleanse after this trip.

“So what do you want to do tonight?” Chance asked as we headed to the lobby to book rooms.

“Whatever you want.”

He stopped short. “That’s a dangerous offer, Princess. You might want to amend your answer before I take you up on it.”

Between his admission earlier today and the beer leaving me feeling a little tipsy, I was feeling bold. I walked into Chance’s personal space and smirked. “Whatever you want. I’m yours to do with what you please tonight.”

He groaned, and I pretended I didn’t notice him adjusting his shorts a few times as we checked in to the hotel.

I took less time to get ready for the senior prom than I did getting ready to go out that night. Normally, I tried to tame my naturally wavy hair, but instead I encouraged it to be wild. Smokey eyes and glossed lips matched the sexiness of my open toe high-heeled shoes, and the simple black dress showed off my figure in all the right places. Finally, toting around everything I owned had a perk.

My look wasn’t really me, and it definitely wasn’t how I’d normally go out at night. But when Chance knocked and I opened the door, any apprehension I’d felt went out the window.

“Fuck.” He raked his fingers through his hair.

Inwardly, my peacock feathers fanned. “I just need to grab my bag. Come in.”

“No, thanks. I’ll wait out here.”

If I couldn’t have him, I was damn straight going to make sure to rub in his face what he was missing.

A group that looked like they might have been a bachelor party stumbled to the elevator bank as we waited. I sort of loved it when Chance put his hand on the small of my back in an understated possessive gesture. I really loved it when he didn’t take it away, even when we walked out on the strip.

“Where are we going?”

Chance hailed a cab and opened the door for me. He answered by means of directing the driver, “Spearmint Rhino, please.”

Five minutes later, we were pulling into a parking lot. The neon sign read Spearmint Rhino. But beneath it explained more: A Gentleman’s Club. “We’re going to a strip club?”

“We are. You said it was my choice all evening.” He winked.

Oddly, although I’d never been inside of one, I was more intrigued than put off. The interior was nothing like I’d imagined. I suppose I expected darkness and sticky floors. But instead, I was surprised to find two floors, a grand stage and opulent décor. At first, it seemed more like a swanky nightclub than a place where women took off their clothes. The main stage had seating all around it, and there was a section with long couches for larger parties. Other areas could be curtained off for privacy. Some of the curtains were closed; others were open and inviting. I watched as two attractive women led a man by his hand into a private area behind a door.

My eyes took in everything around me, but when I looked at Chance, he was only watching me.

“Have you been here before?”

He nodded. “A mate’s bachelor party last year.”

“You mean you don’t frequent this place with your dates?”

Chance chuckled and took my hand. “Just you, babe. You still think I’m a womanizer, don’t you?”

I let him lead me to a booth in a corner. It was quiet, private almost, but it didn’t stay that way for long. A dancer wearing only a g-string, with a body I could only dream about, smiled as she approached. “Would your date like a dance?”

He looked at me, caught my widened eyes and declined graciously. “Not just yet. I think we’re going to have a drink first.”

He turned his attention to me. “Still okay with me picking what we do all night?”

I rose to the challenge. “Of course.”

We shared a bottle of wine that was grossly overpriced, and I actually forgot where we were for a while. I looked around and sighed. “Where do they get all these perfect women from?”

Chance emptied his glass. “I only see one.”

“That’s sweet. But I can’t lift my leg over my shoulder like that one.” I pointed to a woman who had to have been double jointed. “So I think she definitely has me beat.”

“Thank God.”

“Thank God, she has me beat?”

“No. Thank God you can’t lift your leg over your shoulder. There’s only so much a man can take before he breaks.” There was an intensity in his eyes that made me feel like if I pushed a little harder, I could break him. Only, I didn’t want to break him. I wanted him whole.

“So. Have I passed your test yet? Or do we have to pay a hundred dollars for another nine-dollar bottle of wine?”

“Just one more thing. Then we can go.”

I was almost afraid to ask. “What’s that?”

“I’m going to buy you a lap dance.”

“And that will prove I’m not uptight to you once and for all?”

“No. But it will sure as hell make my night.”

The lap dance was nothing like I expected. It sort of…turned me on, and I didn’t know how to process that. I liked men. I never had any interest in women, so it left me feeling a bit confused on the way back to the hotel.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Aubrey?”

The strip was jam packed like it was nine in the morning in midtown Manhattan, even though it was almost one in the morning in Las Vegas. I’d had a little too much truth serum…I mean wine. I leaned my head on Chance’s shoulder in the back of the cab and took an audible breath. “Say my name again, Cocky?”

“Princess.”

“No, my real name.”

“Oh. Uptight Princess.”

I jabbed him in the chest with my elbow and laughed. “No really. I like the way it sounds when you say Aubrey.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, Aubrey.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close.

AH-BREE.

Snuggled tightly to Chance’s side, I dozed for a few minutes in the car. His raspy voice saying my name with that incredible accent, made me warm all over. It felt so right, it almost hurt to think we wouldn’t be with each other all the time soon enough.