Only in Vegas (12 page)

“There you are,” an all too familiar voice called out from the aisle way.

Trey’s head snapped around.  Then a scowl moved across his face as he muttered a curse.

Angie glanced back over her shoulder to see Rick heading their way minus his platinum-haired travel companion.  “I’ll handle this,” she told him, then turned to face her ex.  “Hello, Rick.”

“The Dick,” Trey muttered behind her.

“Trey,” she warned with a light jab back to his ribs.

Rick stepped up to her with an overdone smile, his suit jacket slung casually over his shoulder.  A shoulder nowhere near as broad as Trey’s was.  “I called your room this morning, but apparently you had already left.”

“No, she hadn’t,” Trey corrected, his arms wrapped possessively around Angie’s waist.

“Excuse me?”

“We just weren’t answering,” Trey pointed out with a satisfied grin. 

Rick looked to her.  “Angie?”

“We were busy,” she answered, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

“Real busy,” Trey added as he stepped up beside her and slid his arm around her waist.  “Your loss was definitely my gain.  Guess it takes a real man to please Angel.”

“Why you...” Rick drew back to hit him, but Angie stepped between the two men, thankfully stopping him.  Had Rick of struck her by mistake Trey would have killed him.

Trey’s taunting words had clearly found their intended mark, Rick’s overblown male ego.  Angie wanted to smile, but forced herself to keep her face expressionless.  There was no sense provoking a fight between her ex and Trey.

“Why are you looking for me?” she asked, her voice void of emotion. 

“I thought we might have breakfast together before touring those hotels today...” his words trailed off as his gaze swept over her.  “It’s no wonder I couldn’t find you.  I wasn’t looking for a woman with that much leg showing.”

“You can damn well pick your jaw up off the floor, buddy boy,” Trey said, the warning clear in his voice.

“What happened to you?” he asked Angie, ignoring Trey.  “You look hot.”

“She’s always looked hot,” Trey said.  “You were just too stuck on yourself to notice.  Guess I should be thanking you for being an idiot since Angel’s with me now.”

Rick’s nostrils flared and his fists clenched at his sides.  “We need to talk, Angie.  How about we go grab a cup of coffee?  Bodyguard not included.”

Trey tensed beside her, the muscle in his jaw ticking with barely checked anger.  Angie held onto the arm he had curl around her back, refusing to let Rick drag him into a fight.

“For your information, Trey’s not my bodyguard.  He’s my
–”

“Boyfriend,” Trey finished for her.

“Angie?” Rick prompted.

If she didn’t know he was merely putting on a show for her, she’d had thought Trey was behaving like a jealous lover.  The man was good, both in bed and out. 

“Thanks,” she replied.  “But I’ll have to pass.  Trey and I have plans.”

“And they don’t include your sorry ass,” Trey added with a snarl.

Angel could barely contain her smile.  This jealousy act of his was so convincing. 

Rick’s confident smile faded away, replaced by a deep-set frown.  “What about the FAM tour we’re supposed to be doing today?”

“I’ll be looking at the hotels with Trey tomorrow.  Kathy gave me the day off.”

“How convenient,” Rick muttered with a glare Trey’s direction.  “He’s not the guy for you, Angie, and you know it.  Give me another chance.  Let me prove it to you.”

“That’s it.”  Trey grabbed for Angie’s hand.  “We’re out of here before I beat the shit out of this guy for crossing the line.”

“I wouldn’t push him,” Angie said with a smile as Trey led her away.  “He means it.”  Then she smiled the rest of the way up to their room.

*    *    *

“I guess we’ll have to
pick up those condoms later,” Angel said with a grin.

“What?”  Trey
said, his thoughts still filled with beating her ex’s ass. 

“Condoms,” she repeated.

“Ah, hell.”  He’d been so pissed at Rick-the-Dick for even thinking Angel would take him back that he forgot all about their plans to pick some up before returning to the room.  All that had mattered at that point was getting Angel away from that sleaze bucket ex of hers before he did something he’d regret.  Like beating her boss’ nephew to a bloody pulp!

Angel reached out to
run her hand along his taut cheek.  “It’s not a big deal.”  She smiled up at him.  “You were so great down there,” she said, turning back to him.

No, he’d been crazy down there, wanting to lay her ex out just for looking at her the way he had. 

“Pretending to be jealous,” Angel continued, “and letting Rick have it for intruding into your territory was perfect.”

Who was pretending?  He sure as hell hadn’t been.  He’d been as jealous as hell.  But that wasn’t part of their deal.  Their agreement was for a commitment-free fling.  Normally, for him, that was a good thing.  Not this time. 

The more he tried to convince himself that he was a no commitment kind of guy, the more Trey wanted it.  And he wanted it with Angel.

He turned to her.  “For this week, Angel, you
are
my territory.”

She smiled up at him.  “Is that so?”

Trey pulled her up against him, covering her mouth with his in a passionate kiss.  One meant to remind her of the passion they shared together.  Of how good they really were together.

“Consider my claim staked,” he said to her when the kiss ended. 

“Mmm,” she said in a purr that had his body temperature rising.  “I kind of like being someone’s territory.”

He pressed his lips to her hair with a deep sigh.  “I don’t want to lose this.”

“This?” she asked, looking up at him.

“What we have together.  Our friendship.” 
You.
 

He didn’t want to lose her to Rick or any other man.  But was it really fair to ask her to consider a relationship with him once they returned home, knowing the amount of time his company demanded from him right now?  He wished to hell he were selfish enough to answer yes to that question, to take what time he could get with her in a real relationship, but he’d never do that to her.

She reached up, tenderly touching his cheek.  “You’ll never lose me, Trey.  Ever.”

Turning his head, he kissed her hand.  “Good.”

“Okay, enough of this serious stuff,” she said, stepping away.  “I think it’s time for a little more practice in seduction.”

“Who’s going to be doing the practicing?” he asked, his pulse already kicking it up a notch.

She walked over to the armoire and slid open the top drawer, pulling out two of the scarves she’d purchased the day before.  Then she turned to him, running them through her fingers with a grin.  “Me.”

He eyed the scarves.  “We’re playing dress up?”

“No.  We’re playing tie up.  That is, if it’s all right with you.”

Whoa!

“You want me to tie you up?”  This was definitely a side to Angel he wasn’t aware of.  Bring on the rope!

She walked toward him, the sway of her hips subtle, yet incredibly sexy.  “No.  I intend to tie you up and then I’m going to take advantage of you.”

A husky chuckle rumbled in his chest.  “Sweetheart, you don’t have to tie me up to do that.  I’m more than willing to be taken advantage of.”

“Please, Trey,” she said with that perfected pout of hers as she ran the silken scarves over his skin.  “I want to walk on the wild side with you.”

And they hadn’t done that already?

Her expression told him this meant a lot to her.  Angel was spreading her wings sexually and he wasn’t about to keep her from flying.  Besides, what harm could come of it?  They were silk scarves.  And he had to admit this unexpected side of Angel was turning him on big time. 

Trey smiled and held out his hands.  “Have at it, Angel.  I’m all yours.”

CHAPTER NINE

Grinning like a woman who was holding onto a naughty little secret, Angel reached out to tug the cotton t-shirt free from beneath the waistband of his jeans.  As her hands smoothed up his bare chest, she leaned forward to whisper against his ear, “I’ll try to be gentle.” 

He laughed, loving this sexy, playful side of her.  “Don’t try too hard.”

A mischievous twinkle lit her eyes as she worked his shirt further upward. 

He raised his arms as she dragged the shirt off over his head, tossing it aside.  Then he kicked off his shoes and reached for the fly of his pants.

But hands, definitely not his own, were already there working the button free on his jeans.  The rasping of his zipper drew his gaze downward. 

She smiled up at him, the glint in her eyes promising even better things to come.

Trey watched Angel’s slender fingers work the faded denim down his hips.  Then she took him completely by surprise by shimmying downward as she slid his pants down his thighs.  The warmth of her breath teased him through the straining cotton of his briefs as she tugged the jeans free off his feet.

Trey dropped his head back with a groan.

Angel’s hands stilled.  “Am I being too rough?”

Rough he might have been able to take.  It was the look in those dark brown eyes as she removed his clothes one by one, the intentional sweeps of her hands over his flesh, the growing urgency of her actions that had him wanting to toss her down on the bed and make passionate love to her.

He opened his eyes to look down at her.  “I think I can handle it.”  He hoped like hell he could.

The thought had barely settled in his mind when Angel stood, her hands going to the straining waistband of his briefs.  She dragged them carefully, and with agonizing slowness down over his awaiting arousal, her fingertips brushing against his straining flesh. 

He swallowed a curse as desire shot through him.  Angel’s little walk on the wild side was going to kill him.

The moment his briefs hit the floor, he moved to undress her, but Angel stopped him.

“Not this time,” she said, pushing his hands away.

She was kidding him, right?  He was standing there buck naked and she intended to keep her clothes on?  “It’s going to be kind of hard making love to you with your clothes on.”

“They won’t be on when we make love,” she assured him with a sexy smile.

“Had me worried there for a minute.”

She reached up to stroke his cheek.  “No need to worry, Trey.  I plan to be every bit as naked as you are, but first I’m going to tie you up.  Then I’m going to undress for you while you watch.”

Erection lift off!  Her promises had just shot him right off the sexual launch pad.

“That is, if it’s alright with you.”

What man in his right mind could resist an offer like that?  He held out his hands with a grin.  “Tie away.”

Instead of tying them together like he’d expected her to do, Angel pointed to the bed.  “Not yet.  First, you need to lie down.”

“You’re turning into a very naughty girl, Angel,” he said as he crossed the room to the bed where he stretched out, face up, across the comforter.

“I certainly hope so,” she replied as she stepped up beside the bed.  Taking hold of the wrist nearest her, she began tying it to the bedpost with one of the scarves.  “I read in a magazine that men like this sort of thing.”

“Some magazine,” he muttered, his voice hoarse with desire.  “Remind me to buy you a lifetime subscription to it when we get home.”

Angel clicked her tongue and shook her head.  “You’re not supposed to be thinking about some magazine while I’m seducing you.”

“Sorry,” he said, fighting the urge to grin.  “Have I told you how damn cute you are when you’re trying to be seductive.”

She paused to look at him, a hint of disappointment on her face.  “Trying?”

“Bad word choice.  Succeeding in being seductive would be more appropriate at this moment,” he quickly rectified.  Then with a glance at his jutting arousal, he added, “Most definitely succeeding.”

Her confident smile returned as she followed his gaze.  “I guess there isn’t any bigger...I mean better proof than that.”

Damn if her gaze sweeping over his prone form didn’t arouse him even more.  “Angel...”

“Almost done,” she said as she moved around the bed to secure his remaining wrist to the other post, the spiraling strands of her hair sweeping across his bare chest as she did so.  “There, that’s better.”

He was completely at her mercy now.  This was definitely a first for him.  Being tied up by a woman with the promise of being taken advantage of.  He had to admit he kind of liked it.

“Make sure you don’t make those knots too tight,” he said as he watched her fingers work the knot.”

“Shh, you’re not allowed to talk.”

He arched a brow.  “Are you making these rules up as you go?” 

“Maybe.”  Angel gave the scarf a tug and then stepped back.  “There, all done.”

He watched her round the bed to dim the lights and put on some soft music, no doubt setting the atmosphere for her seduction.  She had his heart pounding with anticipation.

Angel returned to the bed with a sexy sway of her hips.  “Ready for the show?”

As if proof of that wasn’t sprouting up from the center of the bed.  “And then some,” he told her, his voice strained.

Angel began her little striptease.

A moment like this had to have been the inspiration behind the invention of air-conditioning.  He was sure of it.  Only the one in their hotel suite didn’t appear to be working.  The room seemed to be growing hotter and hotter by the minute.  Like a sexual sauna.

He watched as she stripped, piece by piece of her clothing away, revealing more and more of her tanned flesh.

Angel paused in the middle of her lust-provoking hip gyrations.  “Am I doing this right?”

Was she doing it right?  He groaned.  How could she doubt it?  His cock was literally dancing along with her.  “Angel, if you were doing it any more right, I would self-combust.”

Tossing the last of her clothes aside, she moved toward him.  “We can’t let that happen.  Because if it did, then I wouldn’t be able to do this...”

Trey closed his eyes with a low moan as she joined him on the bed and lowered herself onto his erection.  He might just go up into flames yet. 

Angel’s hips began their dance of seduction once more, this time with their bodies joined.

“I need to touch you,” he said hoarsely, tugging at the scarves that bound him.

She needed that, too. 
Desperately.

Angie stopped moving and leaned forward to free his wrist from its binding.  The knot wouldn’t budge.  She worked at it harder.  Nothing.

“Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh?” Trey repeated as he looked up at her.  “I’m not so sure I like the sound of that.”

“I’m just having a little trouble with the knot on this one.  Here, let me get the other wrist,” she said, tamping down her panic. 

His blue eyes pinned hers.  “Are you telling me you can’t get the knot undone?”

She tossed her head to get the hair from her face as she straddled him.  “I’m sure I can get it undone.  It’s just going to take a little more work.”

“Okay, not a problem,” he said calmly.  “Just undo the other one and then I’ll get that one untied.”

“Trey, I’m really sorry,” she said with a frown.  “So much for my seducing you.”

“You’ve done one hell of a job so far,” he said with a reassuring smile.  “Don’t stress over one little knot.”

She nodded and went to work on the other bound wrist.

That reassuring smile Trey was giving her melted away like ice on a hot summer day as she tugged and pulled at the other knot. 

“Angel?”

“Damn.”

“Oh, hell.”  He squirmed, tugging at his wrists.

“That’s only making the knots tighter,” she told him as if he didn’t already know that.

Much to her surprise, Trey dropped his head back onto the pillow with a chuckle.  “Oh, Angel...”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I suppose I should be thankful the fire alarms aren’t going off in the hotel right now.  I wouldn’t get too far.”

“What do we do?”

“I’d suggest cutting them, but I left my pocket knife at home.  The airline doesn’t take too kindly to passengers carrying weapons.”

She
lifted away from him with a frustrated groan and then climbed off the bed.  Hot, wild sex would be momentarily delayed until she found a way to fix the situation.  She hurried to dress.

Trey
raised his head to look at her.  “What are you doing?”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice sounding a lot less calm than it had only moments before.

“I’m going downstairs to see if I can borrow a pair of scissors from the reservation desk.”  Angie slipped on a pair of sandals and made her way toward the door.

“You aren’t really going to leave me here like this,” he called out to her. 

“Consider this sort of a sexual intermission,” she replied with an apologetic smile. 

“A what?”

“Halftime.”

“Angel, this isn’t a football game.  And you can’t just leave me tied to the bed.”

She had no choice.  Grabbing the Do Not Disturb tag from the door handle, she waved it in the air for him to see.  “Don’t worry.  You’ll be safe.”  She hung it on the door knob outside  then took one last visual sweep of Trey’s hard, lean form, still fully aroused.  “Just hold that thought.”

“Angel!” he exclaimed as she let herself out.   Threats of paybacks followed her from the room.

The door clicked shut behind his departing captor.  Trey dropped his head back down onto the pillow.  While he liked the excitement Angel added to his life, this kind he could do without.

He did a quick perusal of the silk scarves that bound him to the bed.  TV’s MacGyver would get out of this situation by using a twisty tie or paper clip.  But this was real life, and the only thing he had right now was an erection.  He highly doubted it would be of much use in getting him free.  His only choice was to sit tight, or in his case lay tight, and wait for Angel to return.

A few minutes after Angel left, the door knob jiggled.  He heaved a sigh of relief.  “That was fast.  What did you do?  Take the express elevator?”

The gasp that followed wasn’t Angel’s.

His head shot up off the pillow.  There, standing in the entryway, was one of the hotel’s housekeeping staff.  The woman’s face was as white as the clean sheets she held clutched against her uniform.

“Oh, shit.”

Somehow he managed a smile, trying to appear as calm as he could for a man who was tied stark naked to a hotel bed, erection deflating at warp speed.

“This isn’t what it looks like.”  What the hell he meant by that he had no idea.  It was exactly what it looked like.  But he had to say something.

The woman dropped the bundle of sheets and moved toward him, pointing the feather duster she held in her other hand at his now flagging erection.  She ranted at him in a stream of foreign words, no doubt thinking he was some kind of maid-flashing pervert.

“Look, I can explain—” 

She wasn’t listening.

Trey cringed as the woman whacked him several times with the duster.  “Hey!  Ouch!  Damn!”  Who would have guessed feathers would sting like that on bare skin?   

The female jail warden look-a-like went at him again, swatting at him like she was trying to exorcise the devil out of him. 

“Lady, are you loco?” he hollered, having more than his fill of her feather duster.  He followed that up with a frustrated growl.

The woman jumped back, her dark eyes wide, and then raced for the door.

“Don’t expect a tip!” he called after her retreating form.

With no other choice, but to wait for Angel’s return, Trey laid his head back down.  He began mentally checking off all the reasons why he shouldn’t strangle Angel’s pretty little neck whenever he finally got free. 

*
    *    *

Angie was still smiling when she stepped off the elevator and headed for her and Trey’s suite with the borrowed scissors.  This could only happen to her.  At least, Trey had been a good sport about it.  Not that he’d had much choice in the matter.

She dug out her room key and had just reached out to insert it into the slot when the door swung open.  Angie jumped out of the way, nearly run down by a shrieking hotel maid.  Then she was almost run down a second time by the woman’s cart as the housekeeper scurried away, muttering something in Spanish.  She couldn’t understand a word of what the woman was saying, but it sounded bad.

The hotel door clicked shut behind her, making Angie jump again.  Then the realization of what had just happened sank in.  The housekeeper had been in their room!