Saturday Night Special (7 page)

Bubbles’ head swayed sideways and Riley fought not to laugh at the woman’s haughty expression. “Hmpf. You might wanna tell that wife her two-timing husband has dipped his stick in a well of STD-infested poison. I wouldn’t take a man back who’d fucked Bella even if he’d been dunked in a vat of bleach and scrubbed off with twenty-two cases of Purell.”

“Lovely imagery,” Riley muttered.

“We’ll pass your advice along to Trev’s wife, but for now, we really just need to find him,” Aaron said.

Riley was impressed with his calm, matter-of-fact manner. In the meantime, she was hungover, horny and torn between laughing her ass off or curling into a fetal position and crying her eyes out. She was going to knock every tooth Trev had left down his throat when she found him. Nobody was worth this much hassle.

“I don’t have any clue where the cunt is and I don’t really care to know.”

“Fine,” Aaron said. “Thank you for your time.”

He took Riley’s hand and turned to leave, but Bubbles stopped him. “You could always ask Johnny.”

“Johnny?” Riley asked.

“Johnny Sparks, Bella’s old man. If she’s run off with this friend of yours, you can be damn sure Johnny’s looking for them too. You better hope you find them first or there won’t be too many parts of your friend left
to
find.”

“Any idea where we could find this Johnny guy?” The question seemed to be pulled from Aaron’s gut and Riley could appreciate the sentiment. The idea of tracking down Bella’s pimp, especially if he was dangerous, didn’t seem like such a good idea.

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Saturday Night Special

“He hangs out at Jacko’s—closes it down every night, the drunk asshole. It’s a bar on the edge of town. Kind of a rough place.” Bubbles looked at Riley as she spoke and Riley appreciated the woman’s warning.

“What does he look like?” Aaron asked. “Might help us find him if we have a description.”

Bubbles laughed. “Oh,
bebé
. You don’t gotta worry ’bout that. You can’t miss Johnny Sparks. He thinks he’s fucking Wayne Newton. Dresses like him, looks like him, acts like him. Shame he can’t sing like him. Maybe he wouldn’t be such a loser then.

Stuck with cunts like Bella.”

“Thanks for the help, Bubbles. Listen…” Riley pulled a tattered receipt and pen from her purse. “Here’s my cell number. If you see Bella again, do you mind giving me a call?”

Bubbles took the number and nodded. “I’ll call you right after I beat her silicone-infested jugs into the ground.”

“Why do you hate Bella so much?” Riley asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Cunt knows this block is my territory. She went into that casino and picked up your friend knowing he shoulda been my john. Then he wins that jackpot and she’s flitting all over town acting like a big shot. He was my Richard Gere.”

Riley was confused. “Richard Gere.”

“Didn’t you ever see the movie
Pretty Woman
? Rich guy falls for the hooker. Saves her from a life on the streets by proposing.”

“Trev isn’t rich,” Riley explained. “And he’s already married. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t qualify for the Richard Gere role.”

Bubbles shrugged and then laughed. “Then maybe I’ll let Bella live, just so I can laugh at her sorry ass when she realizes her Prince Charming is a frog.”

Riley nodded.

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Mari Carr

“I’ll tell you this,” Bubbles said. “Last time Bella ran off with a guy, Johnny put a hit on him. You find your friend, you’d be smart to get him and his wife outta Vegas.”

“That’s the plan,” Riley agreed. “Thanks again, Bubbles.”

“Sure thing,
chica
. You ever convince your man to play at the threesome, you come find me. I’ll give you two the full-service deal for free.”

Riley glanced at Aaron, who was shaking his head.

“Free,” she said with a laugh as he wrapped his arm across her shoulders and led her back to the hotel.

“Dammit, Riley. Can I get into
your
pants first before we start exploring ways to jazz up our nonexistent sex life?”

She shrugged, not ready to let go of the joke. “I guess so. Just seems to me you don’t get an offer like that every day, sugar.”

“I’m not worried,” he assured her. “I’ve known you forever and believe me, those sex offers come your way all the time.”

She laughed. “Like when?”

“Like when Bobby Arthur offered you twelve dollars to touch your boobs in middle school.”

“Twelve bucks was a lot of money in middle school.”

“Like when Jules Rodgers came out of the closet our junior year and announced to everyone she was in love with you,” he added.

“Well, now I’ll admit that was awkward. But we’re fine now. She’s still a really good friend.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “All I’m saying is it’s not that unusual for people to offer you sex in whatever variety or form.”

“Everyone except you.”

He frowned. “What’s that mean?”

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Saturday Night Special

“It means that until this morning, you’ve never even hinted at being interested in me sexually. Don’t you find that odd?”

He shook his head. “Not really. I knew it was all or nothing with you. I’ve always known that.”

“All or nothing?”

“I would never have been able to have sex with you, Riley, without wanting a committed relationship, without wanting marriage as the end result. Until last night, that never seemed like a possibility.”

“What happened last night?”

He grinned. “You let the mask slip.”

She paused to consider his comment. Had she revealed the reason she’d been so depressed lately? Had she confessed her secret desire to get married? Obviously she had, hence her current dilemma. “I’m never drinking again.”

“You always say that. This too shall pass.”

As they approached their hotel, they paused outside. It was early evening and Riley’s energy level was nearly depleted. It had been a long day. Hell, it had been a long weekend and it was showing no signs of slowing up. “What now?”

“Let’s cruise through the casino again. It’s probably too early for Johnny to be at the bar. I figure we have a fifty-fifty chance he’s a mean drunk.”

“You want to wait until he’s drunk
and
mean?”

“No,” Aaron said. “I want the other fifty percent. Drunk enough to be helpful and harmless.”

“You do realize our luck in this godforsaken city hasn’t been all that great so far.”

Aaron smiled. “Are you kidding? I’m having the luckiest weekend of my life and I’m about to hit the jackpot.”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “How so?”

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Mari Carr

“After we determine Trev isn’t hanging out by the slot machines, I’m taking you up to the room and making you my wife. Once and for all.”

* * * * *

Riley pulled her sweater over her head as they entered the hotel room. Aaron had pushed buttons in her she didn’t know she had.

Fuck it.

She was having sex with him and to hell with the consequences. The sound of leather swishing against denim proved Aaron was in a hurry too as his belt hit the floor.

He kicked the door shut with his foot as he reached out for her, turning and pushing her against it.

“Haven’t I seen you here before?” She recalled they’d been in the exact same position this morning.

Aaron grinned. “Same place, different ending. Take off your clothes.”

“I’d rather take yours off.” She reached for his T-shirt, pulling it over his head, her heart racing at the sight of his bare chest. She’d seen the man shirtless a thousand times in the past, but for some inexplicable reason, she felt as if she was seeing it clearly for the first time and a strange sense of possessiveness gripped her.

He was hers.

She leaned forward to kiss him, her lips grazing his pecs before cruising over to visit his nipple. She ran her tongue around the tiny bud as Aaron’s hands gripped her waist. She could sense his growing need. Hell, she shared it. She wasn’t an innocent, not even close. But for some reason, this time with Aaron felt as if she would be losing her virginity all over again. She pulled away from his chest to look at him, her breathing ragged.

She was inundated by so many emotions, she was finding it hard to know what to do next. She wanted him. There was no question of that, but while her body was urging her to claim and conquer, her head was warning her to proceed with caution.

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Saturday Night Special

Overpowering all of that was her heart, screaming at her not to fuck this up.

Proclaiming loud and clear she’d finally gotten something right.

Aaron offered her a crooked grin and kissed her forehead. “Never pegged you as a thinker, Riley. Always saw you as more of a doer.” His taunt hit the nail square on the head, just as he’d known it would, and she narrowed her eyes before unhooking her bra and sliding it off.

“I thought I’d better take it slow for you, sugar. Don’t wanna overwhelm you.” She cupped her breasts, toying with the tight nipples with her own fingers. “Think you can keep up?”

He growled.
Jesus, a growl?
She didn’t have more than a second to process that thought before his lips descended on her breasts. He brushed her hands aside, grasping her breasts, holding them still for his assault. There was no part of her chest left untouched as he licked around her areolas, lightly bit her nipples, kissed the sensitive skin and massaged the plump flesh.

“God.” She wondered where the hell Aaron had learned to play like this. She’d always imagined sex with him would be staid, gentle…boring. Where had this tit connoisseur come from?

She shook the thought from her head. This was going too fast, getting too serious.

She felt completely off balance and grasped the only thing she could still call on to work in her defense. “Hope you aren’t disappointed,” she joked. “I’m no Bubbles.”

He sucked her taut nipple into his mouth…hard, the suction producing a pleasurable pain she’d never experienced. Her head fell back against the door, thudding loudly against the wood.

He moved upward from her breasts, planting hot, wet kisses along her neck. “It won’t work,” he whispered into her ear.

“What won’t work?”

“The jokes. I’m not stopping and neither are you.”

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Mari Carr

“Who’s asking you to stop?” She gripped his hair with her fingers, holding his mouth to her neck. She loved having her neck kissed. He moved, taking her earlobe between his teeth, biting it lightly while his fingers pinched her nipples and she trembled under his forceful, sexy-as-shit attack.

“Still with me, Riley? Didn’t leave you in the dust, did I?”

She grinned.
Smart-ass.
Jesus, she was going to make him pay for that.

She unbuttoned his jeans, taunting him with her eyes as she slid the zipper down.

“You might want to pay attention.” She knelt as she gripped the waistband of his jeans and boxers, pulling them down his thighs. “Maybe take some notes,” she added as she dragged her tongue along his cock in one long lick. She looked up in time to see Aaron’s palms land on the door, no doubt to hold himself up as she took the head of his cock into her mouth. Her gaze never left his as she sucked his hard flesh into her mouth.

“So fucking hot.” He moved one hand to her head, tangling his fingers in her curls as he continued to praise her. “You’re so goddamn gorgeous, Riley.”

She smiled around his cock and he groaned when she took him deeper. Reaching down, she fondled his balls for a moment before exploring further, touching the tip of her index finger to his anus. He jerked and she almost lost her grip on his cock.

He took her head in his hands and pulled her away. “Bad girl.” The heated look in his eyes contradicted his words.

“You started it,” she said, alluding to his sex-store purchase.

He grinned. “And I’ll finish it. Later.” He reached down to help her up. “Take off your pants.”

She quickly shed her jeans as Aaron kicked off his shoes and finished removing his pants. She started to walk toward the bed, but he surprised her by picking her up and carrying her.

“What are you doing?”

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Saturday Night Special

“I thought you might not remember me carrying you over the threshold last night.

Thought I’d reenact it for you.”

“You carried me over the threshold?”

“Of course I did, Mrs. Young.”

She felt a lump form in her throat at his romantic gesture. She’d never thought herself susceptible to such mushy-gushy nonsense. She’d always been too practical, too cynical, but every word he said, every move he made cut straight to the heart of her and she found herself melting like a teenage girl with her first crush.

He placed her on the bed like she was made of glass and she fought to regain her composure. She’d spent the entire day fighting to return to common ground, struggling for some sense of normality only to have him rewrite the rules of their relationship time and time again. He lowered himself over her, their bare bodies touching from chest to feet. She could sense his strength—and his desire—and it lit her body on fire. She ran her hands along his back, savoring the deep kiss he offered.

When they broke apart for much-needed air, she realized resistance was futile.

“Fuck me, Aaron.”

He shook his head. “No. Our fucking days are over, Riley. I’m making love to you.”

She wanted to roll her eyes, wanted to snort or do something completely like herself, but all she could do was nod and pray to keep the tears she felt clogging her throat from reaching her eyes. He reached to retrieve his pants but she halted him.

“No condom. I’m on birth control. Just us. Nothing in the way.”

He considered her words for a moment and then grinned. “Just us. From now on.”

He leaned down to kiss her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He nudged his cock against her pussy and she reached down to guide him home. He entered so slowly she wanted to protest, but his lips devoured any words she might have spoken. He wasn’t lying about the making-love comment. Riley had never felt more cherished, more protected…more horny.