Time for Love Series E-Book

Bethany Lopez

• Herausgeber: Bethany Lopez
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

This Box Set Features the entire Time for Love Series:

1 Night - Prequel Short
8 Weeks
21 Days
42 Hours
15 minutes
10 Years
3 Seconds
7 Months
For Eternity - Novella
Night & Day - Novella

Each book is about a different couple, and can be read as a standalone, but do go in chronological order.

Leseprobe

Time for Love Series

Bethany Lopez

Copyright © 2020 by Bethany Lopez

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Created with Vellum

Contents

1 Night

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

8 Weeks

10. Cal

11. Shelly

12. Cal

13. Shelly

14. Cal

15. Shelly

16. Cal

17. Shelly

18. Cal

19. Shelly

20. Cal

21. Shelly

22. Cal

23. Shelly

24. Cal

25. Shelly

26. Cal

27. Shelly

28. Cal

29. Shelly

30. Cal

31. Shelly

32. Cal

33. Shelly

34. Cal

35. Shelly

36. Cal

37. Shelly

38. Cal

39. Shelly

40. Cal

41. Shelly

42. Cal

43. Shelly

44. Cal

45. Shelly

21 Days

46. Tj

47. Sasha

48. Tj

49. Sasha

50. Tj

51. Sasha

52. Tj

53. Sasha

54. Tj

55. Sasha

56. Tj

57. Sasha

58. Tj

59. Sasha

60. Tj

61. Sasha

62. Tj

63. Sasha

64. Tj

65. Sasha

66. Tj

67. Sasha

68. Tj

69. Sasha

70. Tj

71. Sasha

72. Tj

73. Sasha

Epilogue – TJ

42 Hours

74. Scott

75. Gaby

76. Scott

77. Gaby

78. Scott

79. Gaby

80. Scott

81. Gaby

82. Scott

83. Gaby

84. Scott

85. Gaby

86. Scott

87. Gaby

88. Scott

89. Gaby

90. Scott

91. Gaby

92. Scott

93. Gaby

94. Scott

95. Gaby

96. Scott

97. Gaby

98. Scott

99. Gaby

100. Scott

101. Gaby

102. Scott

15 Minutes

103. Brock

104. Victoria

105. Brock

106. Victoria

107. Brock

108. Victoria

109. Brock

110. Victoria

111. Brock

112. Victoria

113. Brock

114. Victoria

115. Brock

116. Victoria

117. Brock

118. Victoria

119. Brock

120. Victoria

121. Brock

122. Victoria

123. Brock

124. Victoria

125. Brock

126. Victoria

127. Brock

10 Years

Foreword

Prologue

128. Craig

129. Gwen

130. Craig

131. Gwen

132. Craig

133. Gwen

134. Craig

135. Craig

136. Gwen

137. Gwen

138. Craig

139. Craig

140. Gwen

141. Craig

142. Gwen

143. Gwen

144. Craig

145. Craig

146. Gwen

147. Craig

148. Gwen

149. Craig

150. Gwen

151. Craig

152. Gwen

153. Craig

154. Gwen

155. Gwen

156. Craig

157. Gwen

158. Craig

159. Gwen

160. Craig

161. Gwen

162. Craig

163. Gwen

3 Seconds

164. Brendan

165. Bronagh

166. Brendan

167. Bronagh

168. Brendan

169. Bronagh

170. Brendan

171. Bronagh

172. Brendan

173. Bronagh

174. Brendan

175. Bronagh

176. Brendan

177. Bronagh

178. Brendan

179. Bronagh

180. Brendan

181. Bronagh

182. Brendan

183. Bronagh

184. Brendan

185. Bronagh

186. Brendan

187. Bronagh

188. Brendan

189. Bronagh

190. Brendan

191. Bronagh

192. Brendan

193. Bronagh

194. Brendan

7 Months

195. Brady

196. Ming

197. Brady

198. Ming

199. Brady

200. Ming

201. Brady

202. Ming

203. Brady

204. Ming

205. Brady

206. Ming

207. Brady

208. Ming

209. Brady

210. Ming

211. Brady

212. Ming

213. Brady

214. Ming

215. Brady

216. Ming

217. Brady

218. Ming

219. Brady

220. Ming

221. Brady

222. Ming

223. Brady

224. Ming

225. Brady

226. Ming

227. Brady

228. Ming

229. Brady

230. Ming

231. Brady

232. Ming

Epilogue ~ Brady

For Eternity

233. Carson

234. Natalie

235. Carson

236. Natalie

237. Carson

238. Natalie

239. Carson

240. Natalie

241. Carson

242. Natalie

243. Carson

244. Natalie

245. Carson

246. Natalie

247. Carson

248. Natalie

Epilogue - Carson

Night & Day

249. Simone

250. Micah

251. Simone

252. Micah

253. Simone

254. Micah

255. Simone

256. Micah

257. Simone

258. Micah

259. Simone

260. Micah

261. Simone

262. Micah

263. Simone

264. Micah

Epilogue

Bonus Epilogue

Thank you so much for reading the Time for Love Series! I hope you love this group as much as I do!

About the Author

Also by Bethany Lopez

1 Night

Introduction

This short story tells what happened when Cal, Scott, and T.J. went to Las Vegas for Scott’s bachelor party. It is a prequel to 8 Weeks, book 1 in the Time for Love Series.

Chapter 1

I leaned against the back of the bar trying to ignore the fact that my feet were fucking throbbing as I watched the girls on stage with vague interest.

Dip, squat, throw your ass back, showcase your tits… it was the same thing over and over again. Not that you had to have a large repertoire of choreography when you were a stripper at a dive such as this in Vegas. Dudes were pretty easy to please, and even the worst stripper could leave with a couple hundred cash after a shift on the pole.

Still, I’d been working here for five years, which made me one of the “old ladies”, and I often found the younger dancers lack of range annoying. What was the point of doing anything, if you didn’t give a hundred and ten percent.

This philosophy had always worked for me. I was one of the most sought after girls at the club. I had enough regulars and word of mouth clients that I could pretty much make my own hours. Which was why, even though it was barely midnight on a Saturday night, I was on my way out the door.

I had a cool grand in my pocket, aching feet, and the latest season of Scandal waiting for me, so I was calling it a night.

At least, I’d be out of there as soon as Big Mike gave me my cut from the big party I’d just finished up. Closing my eyes, I tilted my head back and moved it from side to side, sighing when I felt how bunched up the muscles in my neck were.

“Sore?” a deep voice asked from behind me, and I barely contained my flinch when strong hands gripped my shoulders and began kneading.

“You know it,” I replied, trying to keep my voice light, even though the sound of that voice and touch of those hands caused a riot in my belly.

“You busy later?” Micah, the owner of those very talented hands, asked.

There was at time that I would have jumped at the chance to have our most popular bartender ask me that question. But that was before we’d shared a spectacular weekend together. Before I’d fallen in love with him. Before he’d broken my heart by treating me the way every other man treated me.

Like I was nothing but a body, a face, a stripper.

“Yup,” I replied, doing my best to keep the bitterness out of my tone.

“C’mon, Simone, when are you going to stop avoiding me?” Micah asked, his hands going still on my shoulders.

“It’s not about avoidance,” I whispered. “It’s about self-preservation.”

I felt his hands tighten and I knew he was about to respond, but I was saved by the lilting sound of my co-worker Ginger asking, “Hey, Simone, can I get you to help me out?”

Normally, I’d roll my eyes and give Ginger a hard time. She was the sweet to my salty, the breath of fresh air to my bitter wind, the good girl to my jaded bad girl… But in that moment, I would have let her paint my nails and do my hair in order to get out of Micah’s heat-inducing grasp.

“Sure thing,” I replied, then glanced over my shoulder at Micah and said, “Thanks for the massage.”

Micah took the hint and dropped his hands. He shot me one last dark look before turning on his heel and walking to the other end of the bar. I ignored the feeling of my heart deflating as I watched him walk away, then turned to Ginger.

“What is it?” I asked, my tone back to normal now that I wasn’t caught in my Micah haze.

Ginger never took anything I, or anyone, said or did personally, choosing instead to remain positive and upbeat like always.

She was seriously annoying.

“A guy wandered in off the street. I think he’s lost, and he’s definitely smashed. I’d help him out, but Big Mike needs me on hand tonight to train the new girl,” Ginger said, her already large eyes seeming to get larger as she pleaded silently.

“So, what do you want me to do about it?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips and applying my best I don’t give a fuck look. “Put his drunk ass in a cab and call it good.”

“C’mon, Simone,” Ginger said as she put her tiny hands together as if in prayer. “He’s really messed up and it sounds like he got separated from his friends and can’t remember where he’s staying. I know you’re on your way out and no one knows the strip better than you. I bet you could figure out where he’s staying and he’ll be sleeping it off in no time. Please… I’ll cover for you anytime you need it.”

I snorted as I took in her angelic face. The girl had a bleeding heart and wanted to help every stray who wandered in off the street. She never thought of the danger, or realized how many people would just as soon screw you over as give you the time of day.

“Two shifts?” She countered, and I was about to tell her to get away from me when she sweetened the pot by adding, “An entire week. You can finally take that trip to Mexico you’ve been going on and on about for the past three years. I’ll even let you keep the paycheck and I’ll just keep the tips.”

That made me pause.

I’d been dreaming about taking a vacation since I started working in this shithole. When you lived in Vegas, the last place you wanted to vacation was Vegas. I dreamed of an isolated beach, just me, my Kindle and an endless supply of margaritas.

Paradise.

And why hadn’t I gone yet? Didn’t I deserve to get away? It’s not like I had a family, or even a man to keep me here, working my ass off every night while giving everyone but myself pleasure. Maybe a vacation was just what I needed to forget about Micah. A little vacation fling could be just what the doctor ordered.

Narrowing my eyes on Ginger’s perfectly made up face, I made an executive decision and said, “You’re on, but only if the deal starts now. I’ll leave for Mexico tomorrow and I’ll let you know when I’m coming back. You cover for me with Big Mike, and I’ll make sure this poor schmuck doesn’t end up passed out on the street tonight.”

“Deal,” Ginger responded immediately, her face blooming as she smiled.

“Here you go,” Big Mike said as he finally came out from the back room.

“It’s about fucking time,” I responded as I yanked my cash out of his hand and placed the folded bills in my bra. I always felt safer having my money on me, rather than in my purse. “Later.”

“Night, Sugar,” Big Mike replied, but I was already turning away.

“Where is he?” I asked Ginger, then watched as she clapped her hands and spun in a circle.

Jesus.

Chapter 2

I stopped a few feet away from the table in the corner Ginger was leading me to, pausing to take in the man slumped down in the chair. His eyes were staring off toward the door, not paying the least bit of attention to the half-naked dancers or scantily clad waitresses who surrounded him.

He was cute, with dark messy hair and a five o’clock shadow, but even in the dark room I could tell he was young. Not jail bait young, but young enough to still have an air of recklessness about him. Yet, even though he was a young, very good looking man in the middle of a strip club, he looked sad.

“He better not be a mean drunk,” I bit out to Ginger as I followed her the last few steps.

“Not at all,” she promised, then bent over to place her hand on the dark-eyed stranger’s shoulder.

His head whipped around and he looked confused for a moment, then must have recognized Ginger, because he smiled crookedly and said, “Hey, there you are… did you find my friends?”

His words came out slowly, and were slightly slurred.

“No, honey, I’m sorry, but we’re going to get you back to your hotel, and your friends will meet you there, okay?” Ginger asked, her voice full of confidence, even though I was starting to regret our deal now that I saw him.

“Simone is going to help you out, okay… You can trust her to get you back safely,” Ginger was saying as she put some pressure on his arm to urge him to his feet.

“You’re a big one,” I managed as the man got to his feet.

I was already pretty tall at five seven, but when you added my heels, I usually towered over most people. I liked it that way. It made me feel powerful. In my business, it was better to be powerful, than easily taken advantage of.

This man still towered over me.

“Um, Ginger…” I began, ready to tell her to forget covering me, forget Mexico, forget all of it. The last thing I needed was to be alone somewhere with a huge drunk guy who decides to get frisky. It wasn’t worth the risk.

“You have nothing to worry about, Simone, I promise,” Ginger said, guessing what I was about to say. “Cal here is a total sweetheart, and he’s married to the love of his life.”

“Shelly,” Cal supplied with a nod of his head, his smile going goofy. “We’re about to have our six-year anniversary.”

I let his words sink in as I took in his wedding band, then the dopey look on his face, and I pictured being on a white sandy beach on my favorite bikini.

“All right, loverboy, let’s get you to bed,” I said, coming to a decision.

I stepped forward and took his arm from Ginger, then started dragging him toward the door.

“See you when I got back,” I called over my shoulder to Ginger, who was watching me like a proud momma, even though I was at least five years older than her. I rolled my eyes at her, and even though I didn’t hear her twinkle like laughter, I knew it followed us out of the club.

Once we were out in the stale night, I propped Cal up against the wall and looked up and down the street. I lived close by, so I walked to work, rather than fight traffic every day. Not that I would put a stranger in my car even if I did have it with me, I wasn’t stupid.

“Cabs always come down here, so we’ll be able to catch a ride in a minute,” I told Cal as I watched him struggle to remain upright. “What do you remember about your hotel?”

Cal lifted his head and squinted his eyes.

“Um… I saw the Eiffel Tower, and some big fountains, and then TJ made us stop and look at some fake statue of someone he liked from a movie… we ate at a buffet and played some poker.”

“Okay,” I said, thinking that could still be any number of places. “Do you remember anything specific about your room? The view maybe?”

“Well, I know we saw the pirate show, and when we walked into the hotel we crossed over water… on a bridge,” he replied, biting his lower lip as he concentrated.

If I wasn’t so frustrated at the whole situation, I would have laughed. He was cute in a disarming kind of way. A real guy next door kind… the exact opposite of the guys I usually went for. I was always more the bad boy, player type.

Which had obviously been working out so well for me, I thought dryly, then started looking at Cal in a different light. He was tall, sexy tall, and the scruffy look was totally working for him.

Then what he said clicked and I guessed, “You’re at The Venetian.”

Rather than agreeing like I’d hoped, Cal shrugged his shoulders and started to slide down the wall.

“Easy there, killer,” I said as I reached out to steady him. “Don’t worry, I won’t just throw you in a cab and hope I’m right. I’ll see you safely to your room, just like I promised Ginger.”

His answering grin had my blood warming. Now that my mind was seeing him differently, my body was happy to get on board. It had been months since my weekend with Micah, and I was ready to bring my vagina out of retirement.

This guy might be just the one to do it, a sort of pre-vacation fling, fling.

Chapter 3

“The Venetian, please,” I told the taxi driver once I’d folded Cal into the back seat, pushing his head down like a child.

I dropped my purse on the seat and climbed in next to him, then pushed on his leg when it kept bumping into mine. He didn’t get the hint, so I wrapped my hands around his thigh and tried to lift his leg, but it was no use, he was too big.

“Whatchya doin’?” Cal asked sleeping.

I looked over to see his head was resting back on the seat and his eyes were closed.

“You’re in my space,” I grumbled, then sighed when I heard him start to snore. “Great.”

When I realized the cab wasn’t moving, I stopped trying to move Cal’s leg and brought my eyes to the rearview mirror, only to find the cab driver watching me in the glass. Well, specifically, he was watching my breasts, which were displayed pretty nicely in my form-fitting dress.

“How about you start driving and stop staring at my tits, asshole,” I said cuttingly, not giving him the satisfaction of covering myself, but rather staring him down in the mirror.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, then averted his eyes and pulled away from the curb.

As we neared The Venetian, I hoped Cal’s friends were already back and waiting for him, because seriously, there was no way I’d be able to get the big lug out of this cab if he completely passed out on me.

“Hey,” I said as I pushed on Cal’s arm, figuring I’d better start trying to wake him up now before he fell too deeply asleep. “Hey!”

“Wha?” Cal muttered, obviously annoyed. He waved his hand like he was swatting a fly and grumbled, “Stop.”

“No, Cal, I need you to wake up so I can take you to your room once we get to the hotel.”

“Tired.”

“I know you’re tired, you smell like you drank an entire bottle of whiskey, but you can’t start sleeping it off until we either find your friends, or your room.”

“Did we find TJ and Scott?” he asked, opening one eye and peeking out.

“Assuming those are your friends, no, not yet,” I replied, then sighed with relief as we pulled up in front of The Venetian. “Here, I need you to get out of the cab and tell me if this is the place you’re staying.”

We pulled up in front and I looked toward the driver.

“Give us a minute, please.”

When he nodded, I opened the door and got out, then leaned back into the car to find Cal still in place with his eyes closed again.

“Cal,” I yelled in my sternest voice. “Get up and get out of the car. Now.”

“Mom?” he asked groggily, and I couldn’t help but bark out a laugh at that. I was the least motherly person I’d ever met in my life.

When I glanced over to see the cab driver ogling my chest again, I said, “Get out,” one last time and backed out of the car. Luckily, seconds later one of Cal’s long legs popped out of the cab and he began to slowly ease himself out.

I watched as he stood up and stretched, my eyes catching on the exposed skin as his shirt rose up.

Realizing I was no better than the cab driver with my ogling, I cleared my throat and brought my eyes up to Cal’s face. “Does this look familiar?” I asked.

“Mmmm, maybe,” he replied, then walked passed me and inside.

“Shit,” I muttered as I watched his fine ass walk away. I reached into my bra, pulled out a twenty and dropped it in the passenger window, then rushed in after Cal.

I caught up to him as he headed toward the slot machines and turned him toward the hotel check-in. “This way, buddy.” He let me lead him, only stumbling a couple of times before we reached the person at the desk, who in my opinion was way too fucking chipper for one in the morning.

“Welcome to The Venetian, how may I assist you?” the front desk clerk asked.

I pushed Cal toward the counter, then shoved my hand in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.

“Hey,” he protested, although rather than looking angry that I’d just picked his pocket, he had that goofy grin back on his face. “Hey, I remember you…”

Ignoring him, I opened his wallet and pulled out his driver’s license. As I slid it across the counter I said, “We should already have a room reserved, in fact, his buddies may have already checked in.”

The clerk didn’t even bat his eyes as he checked the computer, even though I was sure his judgmental ass was assuming that I was a call girl or something. I’d seen the way he’d looked over my tight dress and high heels.

“Yes, here it is, you’ve already checked in, did you need another key?”

“Yeah, man, I…” before Cal could finish his sentence, my hand dipped back in his pocket. I pulled the room key out and held it up.

“Nope, looks like he has the key right here, if you could just let us know the room number, we’ll get out of your hair,” I said, smiling through clenched teeth.

“Yes, Ma’am, room 324.”

Before he could say anything else, I had Cal by the arm and was dragging him toward the elevator.

“You had that room key in your pocket this whole time?” I hissed. I held it up in front of his face and added, “It has the name of the damn hotel right on it.”

We stepped into the elevator and I pushed the button for floor three.

“Sorry,” Cal said sheepishly. “I forgot I had that in there.”

I turned to tell him not to worry about it, since I hadn’t thought to ask him if he had a key either. But before I could get the words out, his face got pinched and he made a strangled sound.

That’s when he opened his mouth and puked all over me.

Chapter 4

One second I was looking and feeling good, even though the heels hurt my feet, I knew they made my legs look a-mazing, and the next I literally had vomit everywhere. Soaking through my dress, dripping down my cleavage, and ruining my shoes.

“Oh. My God.”

I wasn’t sure if Cal said it, or if I did, because I sure was thinking it, along with a long string of curse words.

“I’m so sorry,” Cal managed, somehow sounding drunker now than he had before he’d lost the entire contents of his stomach on my person.

The elevator doors opened and I urged, “Hurry, hurry, get to your room and open the door.”

We rushed down the hall and when he started to fumble the key card I yanked it out of his hand and opened the door myself, pushing past him to get inside and get in the bathroom. I didn’t care if he was behind me or if his friends were in the room, I needed to get this puke off of me before I lost it.

I threw my purse on the counter and fished the money out of my dress, then turned the water on in the shower and hopped under the stream, squealing when the still cold water hit me. I beat back the urge to jump back out and let the water beat the puke off of my dress. Once the chunks were mostly off, the water started to warm and I pulled the dress over my head, gagging slightly as it passed over my nose.

“You okay?” I heard as Cal knocked on the bathroom door.

“Leave me alone,” I shouted back, sounding half crazed, probably because I was. I’d seen a lot of nasty things at the strip club, usually involving men’s jizz, but never had I been in a situation like this.

“Sorry,” I barely heard him say as I tossed my bra and thong on the shower floor and began dousing myself with shampoo. I washed my breasts first, then any skin that had been exposed to the vomit, before finally washing my hair, face and every other inch of my body.

Once I felt clean, I picked up my clothes and washed them with the soap as well, tossing them over the top of the shower to dry, before giving myself another food scrub.

Needing to feel a little normal, I blew my hair dry, before wrapping another towel around myself and exiting the bathroom. I expected to find Cal passed out on the bed, instead, he was sitting in the chair holding two bottles of beer, and there were a few empty mini bar bottles on the table in front of him.

“Do you really think you should be drinking?” I asked, embarrassed to find I sounded like the mom he’d accused me of being earlier.

“Hey,” he said, looking at me as if he’d never seen me before, then I saw recognition dawn and he held one bottle up to me in his shaky hand.

I took it before he could drop it, then sat in the chair across from him and took a long pull. The cool liquid felt good down my throat.

“You’re wet,” Cal said, then asked, “What happened?

“Seriously,” I asked incredulously. “You threw up on me.

“I did? I’m so sorry,” Cal said miserably, dropping his head in his hands. Then he brought his gaze back up to mine. “I remember… I’ve never thrown up like that before in my life.”

“What the hell did you have to drink tonight?” I asked, not really wanting to talk about the puking fiasco any more.

“What didn’t I drink would be the better question,” Cal replied with a sharp laugh.

He leaned forward and tried to set his beer down on the table. Before he could knock it over, I caught it, and said, “It must have been a lot to get a big guy like you that wasted.”

“Bachelor party,” he managed as his eyes started to close.

When he made another hiccupping sound, I jumped up and got out of the way, right before he spewed all over the table.

“Jesus,” I exclaimed, wondering how in the hell he had anything left in his stomach after the elevator. Once he was done, I looked at him, wondering what the best thing to do now was. I couldn’t just leave him like this, not when he could have alcohol poisoning or something.

“I’ll stay until your friends get here, but we have to get you cleaned up and do something about this smell,” I said, thinking I was talking to myself, since he was obviously fucked up.

I was surprised when he stood up and said, “Shower.”

“Wait,” I called when I realized he was going to take a shower now. His shirt was off and he was struggling to get out of his pants when I got into the bathroom. I took a moment to appreciate his well sculpted chest and biceps, I had a weakness for biceps, then reached up to get my clothes off of the shower so he didn’t get them messed up again. I tossed the bills into my purse and grabbed it up off of the counter.

“Take a quick one,” I told him. “If you’re not out if five minutes, I’m coming in to get you. The last thing I need is you drowning in here.”

I left him alone and hung my dress over the back of the chair. I stuffed my bra and panties in my purse, hoping they wouldn’t ruin anything inside, then placed my purse on the dresser and pulled out my phone.

There were three texts from Ginger asking if I’d found the mystery man’s hotel.

You owe me more, one week isn’t going to make up for what I’ve been through, I texted her back, then looked around at the mess Cal had made.

“Fuck,” I managed as I looked around for something to clean his puke up with.

There was nothing. No paper towels, napkins, nothing. I looked at the suitcases and clothes strewn haphazardly over them, briefly considering using his clothes, then decided I wasn’t that much of a bitch, and kept looking.

“Whatever,” I muttered, then whipped the towel off of my body and started cleaning up. Still talking out loud to myself, I added, “I deserve three weeks in Mexico and a hard pounding by a well-toned cabana boy with a hard cock.”

Even as I was cleaning up after Cal, I couldn’t believe I was doing it. It was totally against my nature. Usually I’d walk out the door with my middle finger in the air and let him fend for himself, but there was something sweet about this guy that made me want to do the right thing and make sure he was okay.

I heard the water turn off and seconds later the door flew open, and Cal strode out, naked as the day he was born, or at least, as naked as I was…

Chapter 5

He stumbled toward the bed, not even glancing at me.

I bit back a huff as I watched him face-plant on the comforter, his body bouncing slightly on impact. If I wasn’t confident in how absolutely fucking fantastic I looked naked, I might be offended by the fact that he hadn’t even registered me standing there.

“You okay?” I asked, walking softly over to the bed, unabashedly staring at his finely sculpted ass.

The man was built.

I brushed the hair off of his forehead, and Cal’s eyes fluttered, as if he were having a difficult time opening them.

He grunted in response, but didn’t move, which made me worry. The last thing I needed was this guy to fall asleep on his stomach, vomit again, then drown in his own puke. And with the way things had gone so far, it seemed like a pretty good possibility.

“Hey,” I called, raising my voice in hopes it would penetrate. “Cal, you need to roll over on your side.”

I pushed on his shoulder three times before he finally rolled the way I wanted to and settled on his side. Confident that he’d be fine in that position, I gathered up the disgusting towel and threw it in the bathtub, then shut the bathroom door.

Once I was satisfied the room was as clean as it was going to get, I opened a window slightly to get some airflow. Luckily, I had a small bottle of perfume in my bag, so I sprayed it around the room and hoped the combination of fresh air and fragrance would mask the smell of puke.

After putting the perfume back in my purse, I grabbed my phone and climbed up onto the other side of the bed from Cal and settled in.

Once the pillows were behind my back and shoulders, and the blankets were covering my chilled skin, I scrolled through my phone until I found the number I needed.

“Hey, Babe,” I said in greeting, glancing over at Cal and wondering briefly is he was cold on top of the covers.

“Simone,” the voice on the other end replied. “What can I do for my favorite lady on this fine night?”

“I need your cheapest package to Mexico,” I began, my eyes closing as I pictured a pristine sandy beach. “I don’t care where… Acapulco, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, wherever.”

“Finally taking a vacation, eh? When are you looking at going?”

“First thing in the morning,” I replied, unable to keep the smirk off my face.

“First thing… Shit, you don’t make things easy, do you?”

“Can you do it?” I asked, sending off a silent prayer.

My longtime friend and sometimes travel agent scoffed in response, as insulted by my question.

“Thanks, Babe!” I said with a chuckle.

“I’ll text you the details.”

I disconnected the call with a smile on my lips, and that’s when I felt it, Cal’s hand on my breast. He caressed the bottom softly with his fingertips, then palmed my breast and squeezed. I felt need pulse from my nipple down to my clit, and my lids fluttered closed as I enjoyed the sensation.

“Shelly,” Cal murmured, and my eyes flew open.

I looked over to see his eyes still closed, then plucked his hand from my tit and flung it off me.

“Wrong woman, Loverboy,” I bit out as disappointment and frustration coursed through me.

It was the best tit action I’d seen in months, and he thought he was with someone else.

“Huh?” Cal grunted, lifting his head slowly off the bed as his bloodshot eyes hit mine. “Oh, hey, I know you.”

I couldn’t help but snort at him as he smiled dopily at me.

“Yeah, and I’m not your wife, so keep your big mits to yourself,” I said, trying to sound stern even though I wasn’t mad at the fact that he’d felt me up, but rather that he hadn’t wanted to feel me up.

“Sorry,” he managed, his expression turning puppy dog cute, then laid his head back down.

“So,” I began, figuring it was safer to keep him talking than let him pass out. “You said you’re here for a Bachelor Party. Who’s the poor sucker getting hitched?”

“My buddy, Scott,” Cal replied, his voice low, but clear, considering.

“And did you guys have a good time? I mean, before you got bombed out of your mind?”

“Kind of, I mean, it was more of a depressing event than a celebration. At least for me and TJ.”

“Why’s that?” I asked curious.

“Because Victoria’s all wrong for him.” Cal tried to lift his head and maybe sit up, but gave up and flopped back down on the bed.

I did my best to ignore his dick flopping around with his movement, but it was kind of hard to do when it was in my line of sight, and, well, hard as a cock can get. And I couldn’t help but think that Shelly was one lucky woman, in more ways than one.

I tore my gaze off of Cal’s preening cock, and tried to focus on his face, which currently held a frown.

“How so?” I asked, assuming Victoria was the bride to be.

“She’s turning into his mother,” Cal said, his tone conveying his disgust.

“Oh no, that’s never good…” I began, then paused, considering. “Although, don’t they say men marry women just like their mothers?”

“Not mothers like his. She’s a rich snob who only cares about who has the most money and how their money or connections can benefit her,” Cal replied, then went quiet. I figured he’d dozed back off, when he startled me by speaking again. “The thing is, Victoria didn’t used to be all bad. She used to behave like an actual person and she and Scott were happy. That all changed once she got his ring on her finger. It was like Jekyll and Hyde.”

“And what does Scott think?” I asked.

“He doesn’t see the change, but believe me, the rest of us do. She’ll never make him happy, not like she is now. Scott had never been close to his mother, so I can’t imagine why Victoria thinks becoming more like her is a good thing.”

Cal fell silent again and I thought over what he’d said.

“Maybe,” I began softly, “This Victoria is portraying the person she thinks Scott wants her to be. Who his family wants her to be. Sometimes we morph into different people throughout our lives in order to survive.”

Chapter 6

When Cal didn’t reply, I knew he’d passed out again, and although I meant to keep him awake, my lids got heavy and I began to doze myself. Suddenly, I was there again… Back in the Penthouse Suite at the Bellagio, with a very hot, and very tempting, Micah.

“You know you’re the most gorgeous women here tonight,” Micah had said, his low, gruff tone causing a riot in my belly.

It was our annual end of year party, and everyone from the club had been out in full force, partying hard on the one night the Strip Club was closed and we could all hang out and let down our hair together.

As usual, I’d kept mostly to myself, really only talking to Ginger and Big Mike. I’d been watching Micah for years, and let’s be honest, lusting after him. But, I wasn’t one to mix business with pleasure, and had a strict policy about hooking up with co-workers, and guests.

Still, Micah wearing ass-hugging jeans, a black t-shirt and a fitted vest, was enough to make any woman toss out the rule book. I’d watched him watching me all night, and when I’d caught his eye before walking out onto the balcony, he’d taken the hint.

I lounged on the deck chair, legs out in front of me, causing my already short dress to ride up to a dangerous level. His eyes were on my legs as he gave me the compliment. It was one I’d received many times, from too many men to count, but somehow, it sounded different on his lips.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I replied, running the tips of my fingers over the edge of my dress where it dipped low into my cleavage.

Micah’s gaze followed my hand and the heat in his eyes, coupled with the desire coursing through me, was enough to make me throw caution to the wind. Not caring that someone could walk out at any moment, I closed off my mind, and listened to my body.

My eyes never leaving Micah’s face, I slid my hand into the bodice of my dress, cupping my breast briefly, before pulling it out and freeing it for Micah’s gaze. His already dark eyes turned molten as he watched me caress my full breast, then pinch the nipple tightly between my fingertips.

“Jesus,” he groaned, sucking his lower lip between his teeth and biting down hard, as he stood there with his hands fisted at his side.

I smirked at him as I covered myself back up, then stood up slowly, allowing anticipation to make my movements sensual rather than hurried, even though what I really wanted to do was rip that vest off of him and fuck him right here on the balcony.

Instead, I sauntered over to him, placed my hand on his chest and looked up into his eyes.

“I have a room,” I said softly.

“Take me,” was his reply.

I let my hand drop from his chest to his hand, then took it in mine and led him away from the door leading back into the Penthouse and the party all of our coworkers were still enjoying. Instead we walked through the door leading to the hallway and got into the elevator.

I could feel the heat of his body behind me as we took the elevator down. The anticipation was palpable, but other than our hands, we didn’t touch.

I closed my eyes and allowed that feeling to encompass me, almost to the point of becoming overwhelming. When the door opened with a ding, I opened my eyes and stepped out, a smile playing at my lips.

We’d barely crossed the threshold of my room when Micah pounced. Obviously through waiting, his hands came to cup my breasts as his lips hit my neck. I stopped and tilted my head, giving him easier access as I arched my back and filled his hands with my breasts.

I heard the door shut behind us with a bang, and figured he must have kicked it, but I wouldn’t have cared if he’d left it open. All I cared about, all I needed, was him inside of me. Now.

I bent at the waist as I reached under my dress and eased my thong down my legs, strategically wiggling my ass against his hard cock as I did. As I stood, I pulled my skirt up my thighs, exposing my naked ass as I offered myself to him.

Micah’s hands left my tits and moved to my thighs. He ran them slowly up the heated flesh before moving forward and making me gasp. One hand splayed across my stomach, holding me tightly against his body, as the other started its descent to my pussy and began to torture me sweetly.

“Fuck, Micah,” I moaned as his fingers entered me. My head fell back against his shoulder as he worked me over.

My hips moved slightly as his fingers fucked me and his thumb toyed with my clit. I felt the orgasm building within me, but right before I reached that high, Micah moved his hand and took a step back.

Instantly bereft, I spun on my heel to face him. I was so primed and ready to come that I probably would have shoved him against the wall and humped his leg without the least bit of embarrassment, but luckily, it didn’t come to that.

Micah pushed me back toward the bed with the point of his finger, and when the backs of my knees hit the edge of the mattress I sat down. He stalked toward me until he was inches in front of me, and I could see his cock straining beneath his jeans. Without waiting for an invitation, I freed his dick, then teased him with my hands and tongue, before taking him fully in my mouth and bringing him to the brink of madness.

Once again, he was the one to stop and step back, but this time it was only long enough to roll a condom over his cock and lay me back on the bed. Micah stayed standing as my legs wrapped around his waist and my butt slid to the edge of the bed. I braced myself up on my elbows so I could watch as he slid slowly into me, then pulled back out and rammed himself back in.

Micah pulled my legs from his waist and brought them up, so that my ankles were against his ears as he fucked me gloriously. My head fell back as I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of him moving inside of me.

“So good,” I’d moaned unabashedly.

When I felt his lips softly kiss my ankle, my eyes flew open at the contrast of the sweet gesture. His eye hit mine as he pulled slowly out of me. “Back,” Micah ordered gruffly, tipping his chin up toward the head of the bed.

I scooted back, pulling my dress quickly over my head and tossing it aside, so by the time I was laying on the bed before him, I was finally completely naked before him. Micah rid himself of the rest of his clothes as well, his eyes taking in every inch of me.

I noticed his dick jerking slightly and figured that meant he liked what he saw, so while he watched, I ran my hands over my thighs to my knees, then slowly pushed them to the side, opening myself fully.

Micah growled lightly, then moved. In an instant his body covered mine, all warm, manly flesh. He gripped my wrists in his hands, lifted my arms above my head until we met the headboard, and he urged me to hold on tight.

Assaulted by my senses… the scent of him, the feel of his skin, the sound of his labored breath in my ear, I closed my eyes and turned my head, and turned myself completely over to the experience.

Never had I felt so in the moment, so utterly turned on and in tune with another person.

Micah groaned as he entered me once more, and my knees came up as I tilted my hips to give him deeper access.

He whispered in my ear as he thrust in and out of me, and I gripped the headboard tighter he surrounded me. I matched him eagerly as we made love. That’s the only way I could describe an experience I’d never felt before.

The connection, the almost mindless need to satisfy him in every way, the way the bed shook as we both reached scream-worthy orgasms.

When I came down, I finally released my steel grasp on the headboard, and shifted to see Micah’s gaze on me. I smiled at him tenderly, and knew in that moment, that I was totally screwed.

In more ways than one…

Chapter 7

I came to with a start and looked over at Cal. His eyes were closed and he was laying completely still. I didn’t hear and noise, or see movement in his chest, so I jumped out from under the covers and moved toward him.

“Cal,” I said loudly as I shook him by the shoulder. “Wake up.”

When he didn’t respond I scrambled off the bed and rushed into the bathroom. I filled a cup with water and hurried back, barely stopping by the edge of the bed before throwing the water at his face.

“Da Fuck?” Cal shouted as he shot up to sitting. He shook his head then turned his bleary gaze on me.

“Sorry,” I said with a shrug. “You weren’t responding and the last thing I need is for you to die on me tonight.”

“Who are you?” He asked, eyes widening as he looked down at my very full, and very fabulous, if I do say so myself, tits. “Why are you naked?”

Rolling my eyes, I asked, “How many times do we have to go over this? I’m your fairy godmother. I’m here to make sure you make it safely through the night.”

Cal’s brow furrowed.

“How much did I have to drink?”

“Apparently, you and your boys drank up enough to drown your sorrows over your friend’s taste in fiancés… So, a lot.”

“Where are Scott and TJ?” he asked, turning his head to look around the room.

“That’s the question of the night,” I said bitterly, wishing like hell they’d come back so I could stop this nightmare babysitting duty I was on. “Do you remember the last time you saw them?”

“We hit up a few different places. I remember a lot of shots and a lot of lights… Maybe we were playing poker. I remember I wanted to come back and go to sleep, and they wanted to keep playing, so I left.”

“Hmmm, well, I’m sure they’ll come back once they’ve lost all their money,” I replied, not wanting to sound cynical, but this was Vegas. Shit like this happened all the time.

“I’m hungry,” Cal stated suddenly.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” I began, thinking of all the vomit from before. Then, I considered how much he’d drank, before, and after we’d gotten to the hotel, and the fact that his stomach was empty, and decided that it might actually do him some good to have something in his belly. “Okay, I’ll order room service.”

I stood up and rounded the bed to the phone, then sat on the edge as I pressed the number for room service.

“Yes, can I get two burgers and fries?” I asked, realizing that I hadn’t eaten dinner yet that night myself. “Thank you.”

Once I hung up, I looked over my shoulder to find Cal leaning back against the headboard, his lower body under the covers. “It’ll be about twenty minutes.” I informed him, then sat next to him and pulled the comforter from the foot of the bed and covered myself.

I noticed his fingers fidgeting with the edge of the sheet and realized that he was nervous.

“Hey,” I called softly, and when his brown eyes found mine I said, “Why don’t you tell me about Shelly?”

The smile that lit up his face at just hearing the sound of her name made my heart squeeze with envy.

“Shelly is amazing. We fell in love when we were sixteen, and even though everyone thought we’d have a high school romance and then move on, I knew they were wrong. From the moment I saw her, I knew there was no other person I’d ever want. She’s the one for me, and I’m grateful every day that I was the one for her too.”

“Jesus, you’re corny,” I joked, keeping my tone light even though my throat was burning.

What would it be like to have a man get that faraway look in his eyes, that smile on his lips, and have his voice full of that much love when he talked about me to someone else. It was the kind of love I’d just about given up on. Thinking it must be a fairytale that would never come true.

But looking at Cal and listening to him talk about his wife, I found I was wrong, and I knew without a doubt that I wanted to find what they had. I had to believe there was someone like that out there for me.

“What about you, fairy godmother?” he asked with a grin. “Are you married, have a boyfriend, single?”

“Single, Sugar,” I replied, with a wink and half shrug. Then sighed and said, “There was a guy I thought might be the one but it turned out he was just as disappointing as all the rest.”

“What happened?” Cal ask, his eyes starting to droop.

I was about to tell him to get up, when I heard a knock on the door.

His eyes popped open and he said, “I’ll get it.”

Before I could protest, or remind him that he was naked, he was at the door flinging it wide open and giving the poor staff member a show.

“Can I sign it to the room?” he asked as he took the tray.

“Uh, sure,” I heard a voice say a bit hesitantly. Luckily, it was a man’s voice.

“Thanks, bro,” Cal said and shut the door, then he turned to me with a grin, the tray strategically placed to cover his junk. “Chow time.”

He set the tray on the bed and got comfortable, then we both tucked in and started stuffing out faces. After the first bite, Cal looked at me and asked again, “So… what happened?”

Chapter 8

“Well…” I began, not sure I wanted to bare my soul to a stranger, even if we’d been through a lot together tonight.

“Look, I’ve had so much to drink tonight, you could tell me you murdered a man and I wouldn’t remember. I’m surprised I know my own name right now, I sure as shit don’t remember yours,” Cal said with a dry laugh, and I knew he was probably right.

Besides, I hadn’t talked about it with anyone, so maybe it would help me to get over Micah and move on in Mexico.

“Okay,” I began, then got up and grabbed a small bottle of vodka out of the mini bar. I was going to need some liquid courage for this.

“Get me one?” Cal asked, and I thought about denying his request for a moment, then decided that he was an adult, and although he was wasted, he obviously wasn’t poisoned or on the brink of death or anything, so I complied.

I took a swig, then focused on dipping my fry in ketchup.

“I’ve always been a bit of a hardass,” I began, my heart pounding. I hated talking about myself. “I had a rough childhood, ran away at a young age, got to Vegas and began stripping… yada, yada, yada.”

I gave Cal a self-deprecating grin, then went back to playing with my food.

“I keep people at arm’s length, it’s just easier that way, and I don’t mix business with pleasure. I don’t have a lot of friends, and I’ve never had what you would call a boyfriend. I don’t trust anyone enough to let them in in that way. So, anyway, Micah was different. At least, I thought he was. I guess you could say I was crushing on him, even though that seems like such a teenaged girl thing to say… Still, he wasn’t just hot, or funny, or a seemingly good guy who worked hard and never acted like an ass. He was all of those things, and I’d never met a guy like him.”

I rubbed my chest as I thought of all the times we’d harmlessly flirted, or the way I’d find myself watching him when he wasn’t looking.

“So, yeah, I really liked him. Despite my rules about no ties with coworkers and all that. One night I got up the courage to go for it, and I did. He was right there with me, I swear he was. We spent the entire weekend wrapped up in each other. Not leaving the hotel room. We ordered room service, took baths together, watched episodes of The Tonight Show together, and talked about what we wanted down the line.”

My eyes filled as I thought about how sure I’d been. Sure that Micah was the one, that he got me and wanted the same things I did.

“I was naïve. Stupid. I moved too fast, I know I did, but I thought we were on the same page, you know?” I looked up then, catching the sympathy in Cal’s gaze, and hating every second of it.

“Of course, you know,” I said bitterly. “Because you felt that with Shelly, the difference is, she felt it, too.”

“Tell me,” Cal said, his half-eaten burger forgotten, all his attention on me.

“I told him I loved him, and he laughed,” I admitted, my voice breaking at the end. I dropped my head, focusing on the food in front of me, and when I continued, I hated how small my voice sounded. “I must have looked devastated, because he stopped laughing right away, said he’d thought I was joking, since I never kept any man around seriously.”

Pushing away from the food, I flopped back onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

“I’m not an idiot, I know what they say about me at work. I’m untouchable, an ice princess, the supreme bitch of the club. And it’s true, I’ve never had a serious relationship, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want one, or that I’m not capable of it.”

“Maybe he was just taken by surprise,” Cal said softly, and I rolled my eyes so far back the room went dark. Of course he’d try and take Micah’s side. Dude’s had to stick together, right?”

“He was,” I conceded, then added, “And he’s tried to apologize and asked me to talk a dozen times, but I can’t. I told him I was falling in love with him after the best weekend of my life, and he laughed. I can’t forget the way I felt in that moment. The embarrassment. I grabbed my stuff and left, never looking back, and I’ve been avoiding him ever since. I should have stuck to my own rule, because having to see him at work is awful, and having to dodge him every night is getting harder.”

“Why not give him a chance to apologize, an opportunity to explain,” Cal suggested, and I wanted to slap him in the face. “Maybe he was surprised that someone like you, a gorgeous woman who doesn’t let anyone get close, would be willing to let him in. I bet he regrets laughing, and would give anything to take it back. I know I would.”

Softening towards Cal once more, I shifted my head his way and smiled.

“That’s cause you’re a good guy who knows what he wants and goes after it. That’s who I want, and what I deserve, not someone who laughs when I put myself out there.”

“You’re right, you do deserve that, and I hope you find it.”

“Maybe in Mexico,” I said hopefully.

“What’s in Mexico?”

“Vacation, relaxation, and hopefully, a little romance.”

“Sounds great,” Cal said as he shifted lower to lay down in the bed.

I got up and moved the tray to the table, then went back and laid down on my side.

“I’m just waiting for my friend to call me with my flight info, and for your buddies to get here and take over, then I’m outta here.”

“You don’t have to wait with me,” Cal said sleepily. “You’ve already done more than any stranger should. I’ll be fine. Go to Mexico and find happiness.”

I didn’t respond, but as I drifted in and out of sleep, I had a smile on my lips and hope in my heart.

Chapter 9

I’m not sure how long I slept, but I awoke to the sun streaming through the window and my phone going off. I stretched my body, pausing when my hand hit the warm mass on the bed next to me.

Turning my head, I smiled when I found Cal dead to the world, snoring like sailor.

Boy, he’s gonna be in for a world of hurt today, I thought as I sat up, almost feeling bad for the guy. Then I remembered he was a grown ass man who’d made the decision to get drunk off his ass and kept drinking even after he’d decorated me, and the room, with puke.

I picked up my phone to see who’d woken me at this ungodly hour, then grinned hard when I saw the text.

Flight to Cabo booked for 1100 today. Be there two hours early, two free checked bags. Your flight itinerary and hotel information is in your email, check it. Let your freak flag fly, darling Simone.

I laughed out loud, pumped now that this dream trip of mine was actually a reality, then I cursed when I checked the time.

“Shit,” I murmured as I jumped out of bed. “I have to go now if I’m going to make it to my place to pack and get to the airport on time.”

I paused at the bathroom door to look back at Cal, who showed no signs of waking, and felt a niggling of guilt.

Simone, you have gone above and beyond for this guy. Played the ultimate good Samaritan. You don’t need to feel guilty for leaving, his friends should be getting here any minute.

I nodded in response to my pep talk, and decided to grab a quick shower here, saving some time so that when I got home I could throw my bikini and a couple sundresses in a bag and go.