Cash (3 page)

She
heard Cash moving about on the other side of the wall and then heard him
switching on his shower. She liked him, liked him a lot, wanted to sleep with
him, wanted them to be a couple but he clearly had other plans.

She
burst out crying and threw herself face first into the pillow.

****

Cash
looked down at his broken body. He was still aroused. It hadn’t subsided. That’s
how much she’d turned him on. He stroked his cock, feeling it pulse against his
palm. He needed to jerk off just like he had after every time he’d said
goodnight to Katy. The other occasions had been easier. Tonight, she’d kissed
him. Tongues had been involved, bodies had joined and rubbed against one
another.

The
kiss had been the first of its kind with Katy. He’d taken in her perfume, felt
her breasts pressing against him, her lips and sweet breath, and he’d wanted
her so bad. Nothing he’d rather do than make love to her but he wasn’t ready.
Didn’t know if he’d ever be ready.
Katy was the first woman
since his accident.

Cash
stroked his cock, his hand getting a stronger grip on it with each pass. He
closed his eyes now visualizing Katy. She was naked. Her legs were outspread
and her pussy was on full display.

He
knew it would be beautiful like the rest of her. Would she ever allow him to
make love her to her when she saw what he looked like without his clothes on?
Would she scream and run?

No,
he shouldn’t think about the negative right now. He’d see her beauty and enjoy
a good jerk off because maybe that was the only way he’d ever get to experience
the pleasure of her body.

He
moved his hand faster, sensing he was on the verge of coming. He bit his lip
knowing he could get vocal when he did. He didn’t want her to hear him and
think he was in here with another woman. He found his release and then sat down
on the stool in the bathroom and wrapped the towel around him.

He
turned his head to listen to the noise. Shit, someone was crying. He looked at
the wall behind him. It was coming from Katy’s room. Katy was crying. He’d made
her cry with his abrupt exit.

He
hung his head in shame. He really was a bastard.

Chapter Three

Katy’s
hand hovered near the bottom of the door. She’d written the note to Cash first
thing when she’d woken up that morning. She’d cried herself to sleep and then
woken up, thought about what had happened, and then been unable to get back to
sleep. When she’d finally dozed off the alarm on her phone had woken her. She
looked a disaster with her face all puffy and her eyes red from the enlarged
veins. She’d decided to go to the hotel breakfast buffet on her own and then
head straight over to the convention without Cash. She didn’t want him seeing
her like this. Bottom line, she didn’t quite know what to say to him after last
night.

She
slipped the note telling him where she’d be under his door, just in case he
wasn’t awake yet. She hadn’t heard him up and about this morning. Katy hurried
along to the elevator, got on, and rode it down to the first floor.

The
all you can eat breakfast buffet sign pointed to the left. She wasn’t that
hungry, which was very unusual for her.
 
Guess being this upset really did things to your stomach. In fact, apart
from the day she’d learned that her dad had cancer her insides hadn’t felt this
shaky ever.
 
She headed into the
restaurant.

“Table
for one?” asked the hostess.

How
lonely and awful did that sound, especially in Sin City?

“Yes,
one, maybe someone will be joining me later.”

She
didn’t want to appear all by her lonesome so added that to save face. She
followed the hostess to a booth at the side of the restaurant.

“You
can go up to the buffet whenever you want and the waitress can bring you coffee
if you want?”

Coffee,
that should wake her up.

“Sure,
that will be great.”

“So
I should leave the other flatware here?” asked the hostess, her hands hovering
over the place setting.

“Yes,”
said Katy. At least people wouldn’t walk by her table thinking she was here all
by herself.

Katy
took a few minutes to look around. The buffet was huge and everyone in the
place seemed to be one half of a young couple.

She
got up and headed over to the cereals and grabbed a bowl and helped herself to
some granola and yogurt. She’d start with something healthy and something that
would keep her energy level high for walking around the convention hall all
day. She returned to her table where the waitress had already placed the coffee.
Her cell phone rang and she saw that it was Connor calling.

“Hi
Connor,” she said.

“What’s
happening in Vegas?” he asked.

“Not
much right now?”

“You’re
kidding.”

“Nope, just having breakfast.”

“In
bed with Cash maybe?” asked her brother.
Only in my dreams.

“No.
In fact, I don’t think he’s up yet so I’m eating alone in the restaurant.”

“Late
night with lots of action?” asked Connor.

She
bit her lip. How could she tell her brother what happened? They were close but
she didn’t feel like discussing her relationship or sex life, or rather the
lack of it.

“We
went to see Cirque du Soleil and then went to eat.”

“Sounds
like fun.”

“Yeah,
it was. So how’s the last minute campaigning going? I really should be there
helping you out.”

“It’s
fine. Mom, Dad,
me
and Jennifer are going to do one
final door to door meeting and greeting, and Aunt Betty’s arranged for a bus to
pick up the folks who live out of town and take them to the polling station on
Tuesday.”

“Yeah,
that sounds like something she’d do.”

“Hope
you’ll be back on Tuesday to put an X next to your brother’s name.”

“You
can count on both me and Cash doing that because our flight gets back late
Monday afternoon.”

“Okay,
I better let you finish your breakfast and watch out because lots of people
come back hitched after a stay in Vegas.”

“See
you Tuesday morning,” she said.

She
usually had something snappy to throw back at her brother but not today. She
felt so down in the dumps. She even felt jealous that he was now a married man
with a baby on the way.

Katy
took a sip of her coffee, glancing to the right and seeing Cash heading into
the restaurant. He pointed over to her when the hostess was about to show him
to a table.

To
make things worse, he looked gorgeous again.
Almost edible.
Damp hair that made it look like he’d just gotten out of the
shower.
And he hadn’t shaved. She always liked stubble grazing against
her cheeks, nipples, and yes, thighs. Top three buttons of his shirt were open,
and the muscles of his chest showed through the thin white material. Oh how she
wanted him. In fact, she’d never wanted a man so much in all her life. Maybe he
was making her wait for a reason. Maybe he thought she’d enjoy fucking him even
more after this dry spell.

“Good
morning to you. I got your note,” he said, sitting down.

“Yeah,
I woke up starving. Hope you don’t mind.”

Liar, liar pants
on fire.

“Can
I get you some coffee sir?” asked the waitress.

“Yes,
that would be great and some cream too.”

“I’ll
be right back with that and help yourself to the buffet.”

“You
already been up there a few times?” asked Cash. He nodded at her plate.

She
hadn’t touched much food so he probably assumed as she’d claimed to be hungry
that she’d just about reached her limit. Truth was she was hungry but the bile
in her throat made her almost
want
to throw up rather
than eat.

“Yeah,
everything looked so good,” she said.

More
lies. And she would need to get something besides the yogurt and granola or
she’d probably pass out while making her way around the booths.

“However,
I’m going back for some more bacon and scrambled eggs,” she said, thinking
she’d probably have to push those items down her throat.

“I’ll
join you.”

She
followed Cash to the section with the bacon, sausages, eggs and hash browns. He
loaded up his plate, so high that two sausages balanced on top. She’d always
loved a man with a great appetite. She took a scoop of scrambled egg and two
slices of bacon. Cash still hovered around the waffles and French toast so she
got back to the table a few minutes before him.

He
now had a second plate, and it too overloaded with toast and waffles. “I
thought I might as well take everything I need in one shot so I don’t have to
walk back there again,” he said.

“Guess
you won’t need much lunch.”

The
waitress returned with Cash’s coffee and cream. “You folks want this put on
your room account?”

“Sure,”
said Katy.
“Room 456.”

“Right
you are,” said the waitress. “Let me know if you need anything else and if not,
have a fun day.”

“I
hope you’re going to let me pay for my food and room here,” said Cash.

“I
invited you as my guest and it’s a tax write off for the store,” said Katy.

“I
know but let me contribute something.”

“Okay,
you can buy dinner tonight, how’s that?”

“Sounds good to me.
So will you be
shopping at the convention?”

“Of course.
I’m looking for
something really bad and naughty to put in the store window to shock the folks
of Grantsville.
Maybe an oversized cock.”

Cash,
almost spilt the coffee he was drinking.

“I
guess you and my ancestor Gracie Doyle would have gotten on so well,” said
Cash.

Katy
would love to travel back in time, meet her own ancestor Sarah, and yes, Gracie
too.
Such brave ladies and way ahead of their time in knowing
what they wanted and not being afraid to go get it.
Maybe Katy should
take a note from their lives.

“Connor
found Sarah’s grave. She’s buried between Jon and Shaun as was her request.”

“I
should look for Ryan and Gracie’s too. In fact, I think I’ll set that as a
challenge to myself. You want to help me look?”

As friends, or
girlfriend/boyfriend
?
she
wanted to ask him.
 
Once they got home and knowing that he clearly
wasn’t interested in the same sort of relationship she was, would she be able
to continue spending time with him? It would torture her every minute she was
with him. And what if he found himself a proper girlfriend and slept with her.
Talked to Katy about it? Surely, he must know how she felt about him. Or maybe
he didn’t. No, he’d have to be completely stupid and she knew Cash wasn’t that.
She bit her lip trying her best not to cry again. When would a relationship
ever work out for her?
 
She looked at her
watch.

“I’m
going to leave you to finish your breakfast and go upstairs and get my purse
and more comfortable shoes.”

“Good
idea. How about I meet you out front?”

“Okay,
see you in about fifteen minutes,” said Katy, standing.

****

Cash
downed the last of his coffee and then walked out to the front of the hotel.
Katy had picked this particular hotel because it was just a block from the
convention center and hence they could walk back and forth whenever they wanted
and not have to rely on the hotel shuttle.

He’d
guessed why she’d chosen to go ahead and eat breakfast without him. He’d
debated
 
 
whether or not to order room service for
himself, but then he knew that would be taking the coward’s way out. She’d seemed
okay, down a little bit, but that was understandable. And he was man enough to
accept that was his fault.

Cash
knew at some point he’d have to tell her the reason for his reluctance to have
sex. But he didn’t want to do it on this trip. He wanted them to just enjoy
themselves.
For him to spend time with her, maybe for the
last time.
She was beautiful. He saw guys glancing at her at breakfast.
He’d lose her but what choice did he have?

Shit,
maybe he shouldn’t have taken his uncle’s advice about getting back out there
in the dating pool. Going to that damn auction and seeing her. Bidding on her
and thinking everything would be all right. It wouldn’t and that’s what tore
him up inside. He could just stay at home like he had and be a miserable
bachelor all his life or get out there and deal with the situation. Meet it
head on. Be the man his father had always wanted him to be.

“You
ready?”

Katy’s
voice made him jump. And yes, it made his heartbeat pick up its tempo. He
couldn’t lose her now that he’d found her. He didn’t believe in fate but how
else could you explain him turning up at the auction the minute that the
bidding had begun on Katy?

“I
sure am,” he said.

She
looked lovely today.
Not that she didn’t every day.
Once again she’d opted to wear jeans along with a blue and white striped
t-shirt. Red sneakers now adorned her feet.

When
they stepped outside it was already pretty warm. Hard to believe it
was
 
November
and
before they’d left Montana there was talk of an early snowstorm moving into the
higher elevations of Big Sky County. Serving in the army had taught him to
tolerate heat so he knew he could stand anything Vegas threw at him.

The
streets were also crowded and by the time they arrived at the convention
center, the place was bustling. It seemed it wasn’t only housing the sex toy
gathering but two others including one selling sports memorabilia.

“I
see you eyeing the sign,” said Katy. “You don’t have to look at sex toys all
day.”

“I
don’t mind but later I might just go and see what’s on offer at the other
convention.”

Katy
grabbed her pass for the both of them and they took the elevator to the second
floor. Condoms had been blown up like balloons. A girl wearing one like a hat
handed them fans in the shape of cocks. Cash took it and guessed that he was
blushing. He had to show his support of Katy and not be so bashful. He followed
her inside and the place was already packed.

“Anything
you have on your shopping list?” Cash asked, close to Katy’s ear so she could
hear him.

“Keep
your eyes peeled for something that’s out of the ordinary,” she said.

“I’m
guessing there’s plenty of that,” said Cash.

“How
about I just wander around and then we can meet up at lunch time over there by
the information kiosk? That way you can leave and go look at the sports stuff
whenever you want,” she suggested.