Closing The Gap (Dangerous Pasts, #1) (21 page)

A
fter he picked up the tab, Kevin led the group onto the casino floor and found a table that had positive energy but still had space to play.  The gamblers at the table welcomed their group with open arms since the current shooter had just rolled a seven before getting a point and everyone at the table had lost their money.  They were happy and relieved to have a new shooter.  Since Lake represented the ‘virgin shooter’ and was predicted to have beginners luck, the guys bet the pass line along with everyone else at the table.  Craps tables usually bet together as ‘right bettors’ and not against the shooter as most players tended to be superstitious.  This table was no exception.

Lake held the dice in her hands and rubbed them together.  Josh, Ryan and Kevin stood on her left hand side.  Towards the opposite end of the table, a group of four young guys congregated that looked to be in their late twenties.  They kept yelling at the top of their lungs so the entire casino found out they were there for a bachelor party whether they cared or not.  The prospective groom wobbled left and right so the best man had his arm draped around him. Stationed between the two groups, stood a middle aged couple from New Mexico.

“Okay, what am I looking for here?”  Lake felt out of her element.  She hadn’t played the game before or ever learned anything about it other than it involved rolling two dice.

Kevin, the resident expert leaned in, towards her left side.  “You want a seven or eleven on the first roll.  If you roll a seven or eleven, everyone wins.  If you roll a two, three, or twelve, that is Craps and everyone will lose.  Lake, we really need a seven or eleven!”

Lake took that opportunity to lock gazes with Josh and place the dice up towards her lips.  She wore her most innocent look with her eyes peeking out from underneath her eyelashes.  “Should I blow on them?”

The best man overheard her and jumped high into the air.  He gave a loud party whoop and flung his arms wide which caused the groom to sway sharply against the table.  If they stayed upright through the next roll, it would be a miracle.  They needed to be cut off.  “Sweetheart, you can blow anything you want!”

Lake noticed Josh seemed shaky on his feet and Ryan could never bypass an opportunity to tease him.  Ryan veered into his rib cage, unable to remain silent.  “I think it’s my influence.” 

Lake brought the dice up to her mouth again and gave a gentle blow for luck.  When she’d finished, she kept both dice in her right hand and lightly tossed them down the table.  Awesome, they read a six and a five for a total of eleven!  The whole table went wild and everyone won that had bet the pass line. 

“See, what did I tell you about the virgin shooter?”  Kevin seemed very proud of himself.  The dealer moved the point to four.  “Now, you need to roll a four before you roll a seven.  This is very important.  Eleven doesn’t matter anymore.  We need a four and not a seven.  Now, the most natural thing to do is to roll a seven because it’s the most common dice combination.  Even though it’s tempting, the best way to receive a negative outcome is to fling the dice down the table like in a bad Vegas movie.  You should be gentle, position your dice before you shoot and focus on one part of the table.  Come on Lake, you can do it!”

As she tossed the dice out once more, Lake rolled two deuces.  She couldn’t believe it.  There must really be something to this virgin shooter nonsense.  It went on like that for fifteen minutes, as if Lake couldn’t lose.  The more she shot, the more she won and a huge crowd gathered around their table trying to get in on the action.  It must have been two or three people deep.  The cocktail waitress made it through with Lake’s martini and Josh’s scotch.  Kevin had ordered a beer and Ryan a straight tequila.  Josh shot the double scotch straight down his throat and told the waitress to bring another, fast.  Lake wasn’t sure why he was so agitated.  Everyone at the table was having fun.  She wanted to see him smiling too.  Maybe Ryan annoyed him, always orating near his ear.

****

J
osh fanned himself and wished he had a place to throw his jacket.  “Is it warm in here?  I want her out of here and upstairs so bad.  I hate to admit it, especially to you.  If this continues, Lake’s going to think she’s in a relationship with a masturbating monkey at the zoo.”

“Refrain, unless you want to piss off your friend, Kevin.  You, old man, are stuck here for at least an hour.  Do your nuts hurt yet?  Maybe we should tell Lake about the ‘come’ line, she might want to make a side bet.”

“Shut up, asshole.”

“Late night last night, old man?  You look like you’ve fucked Father Time.”

Roberts would still ride on the smack talk train even if it threatened to derail, poised to fall off a cliff.  The longer Josh stood at this god damn table, the hotter and more impatient he became.  Who the hell had invited his annoying ass?  No one, of course, he just always showed up like the proverbial bad penny.  Josh planned to force his dad to answer to this one.  His paternal duty did not include keeping Roberts eternally in the loop while he bolstered his frequent flyer miles.  He wore wrinkled khaki pants, flip flops and a red plaid long sleeved shirt over a grey t-shirt in the middle of a desert summer.  The hostess shouldn’t even have let him in the Prime dressed like a granola loving tree hugger.

Josh’s tie constricted his blood flow as if it could choke the life right out of him.  While he brought his fingers up to loosen it, he caught sight of the cocktail server with their second round of drinks on her tray.  Roberts continued to flirt with the woman in his brazen way right into her ear.  Obviously, he wanted to find out when her shift ended.  Josh couldn’t understand why beautiful women remained attracted to him when he resembled the lead singer in a Pearl Jam cover band.  He grabbed his scotch, handed her a ten and turned towards Roberts.  “You’re over reaching Tree Rat.  I’m pretty sure she’s never danced on a pole.”

“Temper, temper.”  Ryan leaned in to the gorgeous blonde in the skimpy outfit, named Brittney.  “He’s just crabby because he wants to get laid.  It’s been a few hours since the last round and obviously, that’s too long for him.  At his age, I’m surprised he can still get it up.  Ah, the bloom of the new woman.  Frankly, my heart pumps piss for him.”  He twisted back towards Josh, and asked with feigned innocence, “Am I irritating you?”

“Perpetually.  Like a leg loving puppy.” 

Josh rolled his eyes and turned back towards Lake.  Her fingers clutched the dice, ready to roll them again.  He wanted her to roll Craps more than he wanted her to miss her blue line shot at the Coyote’s arena.  Now, he wanted what he’d been missing since that day.  Again, and again and again.  Her happy smile kept him from dragging her away from the table and to their suite, he wouldn’t be the one to spoil her fun.  Kevin’s glee couldn’t be denied either.  He had a huge pile of money in front of him due to Lake’s lucky streak.

A miniature devil also named Josh sat on his shoulder, dressed in blood red.  He couldn’t stop that little bastard from chanting.

Seven, Seven, Seven.

Was that wrong
?
  He hoped the real Beelzebub didn’t have a place waiting for him in hell.  As he watched the dice leave her long fingers, he willed them to a seven.  He clamped his eyes shut and then opened them a sliver.  He stared with fascination as the dice flew through the air and hit the green felt.  The gambling gods must have been with him because those two dice fell perfectly in a five and a two.

“Praise the lord,” he mumbled under his breath.  Of course, Roberts read his lips.  To get out of this one unscathed would be more mercy than he could ever hope to receive from him.  A swarm of hornets circling his head wouldn’t be more annoying at this moment.

“Horny, party of one.  Don’t trip all over yourself getting her out of here.  I want to say goodbye and give her my most sage advice for later.  She should draw things out for as long as possible.  I know how much you love waiting.”

“You are
not
saying goodbye.  You are going to stay here with Kevin and take one for the team.  How many times have I covered your sorry ass and been your wingman?”

“Alright, alright.  I’ll stay here and play more Craps with Kevin where I can ogle the pretty ladies and dally with the delectable Brittney.  One more thing before you go.  What’s on the menu for tonight, Trash?  I just want to know what I’m missing since Lake won’t consent to make it a threesome.”

“You’re a sick bastard.”

“Trash, how many times did you get the job done last night?”

The sound of his voice grated on Josh’s last nerve.  “Multiple.”

His wisest move of the evening was to walk away from Roberts.  If he stayed there and listened, Josh would be hard pressed not to resort to violence that he’d later regret, like smacking him straight in the face.  Roberts’ friendship mattered to him but Josh’s sex life and relationship was no longer any of his fucking business.  As Lake hugged Kevin farewell, she paused so Josh had already moved towards her when he heard Roberts call out his name one last time.

It was simple force of habit to acknowledge him.  In spite of himself, he still glanced back over his left shoulder.  There stood Roberts with that shit eating grin and one parting syllable that said it all.

“Ole’.” 

L
ake thought Josh might pull her arm out of the socket on the way to the elevators.  He punched the up button five times with the pad of his thumb and sighed, still clutching her hand. 

“I’ve wanted you alone since I first saw you walk towards me wearing that tight dress.  Jesus, Lake, you can’t even know what you do to me.”

“I know I’m thrilled by how much you want me.  I’ve never had that power before tonight.”  Lake felt confident in herself for the first time in years which made her yearn to step outside of her comfort zone.  She wanted to be the one to lead tonight’s seduction and it tugged at her heart strings as she observed his discomfort, although awareness of his strong thirst for her wouldn’t cause her to lose her nerve.

The elevator doors opened and they stepped on board.  Two other couples got on with them so nothing outside of basic touching was appropriate.  Lake put her arm around him and rubbed his right side and focused on his waist.  Josh hissed in a breath so she decided to take it further and slid her fingers inside the waistband of his pants as she watched the lighted numbers approach floor fifteen.  The other couples both exited.  Josh hit the door close button, turned and pinned her up against the wall as he placed his large palms on either side of her head. 

“You’re playing with fire.”

“I don’t think so.  You promised me I could taste you everywhere tonight.  I want you to make good on your promise.”

“Lake, I don’t know if I can.”  His voice sounded ragged, course.

“Josh, you are preaching to the converted.  After what you put me through last night, I understand what you’re saying.”  She reached up and wound her fingers through his hair as she pressed her body hard against his.  The contact should help to convey what words could not.  She whispered low in his ear.  “That’s not going to stop me.  I want you with more intensity than I’ve ever known.  It’s consumed me.  Please, please, let me do it.”

The elevator doors slid open on their floor so Josh stepped off and tugged her along behind him with both her smaller hands encased in his larger ones.  Her high heels weren’t a match for the ground covering strides of his long legs.  She skittered along behind him but he didn’t slow or break contact.  His frantic behavior confused Lake.  After he pushed the key card into the lock, he swung the door wide.  Lake entered the suite and walked straight towards the bedroom hoping he would follow.  He did, just like a lamb to the slaughter.

“I need more scotch.”

She turned towards him in surprise and noticed a haunted expression on his face containing more nuances than just base desire.  Why was he holding back?  He’d probably had woman with talents rivaling the courtesans of Venice make love to him before this night.

“No.  No more liquor.  Just you and me.” 

“I don’t know if I can get through this without it.  I’ve had a raging hard on since we were at the Craps table.”

“Good, I want you to let me see it.  To let me touch it and taste it.”

“Sweet mother of God!  I think I liked it better before you said these things to me.  This new Lake makes me so rock hard it’s become painful.”

She struggled to get the words out as she walked towards him.  “Then the new Lake will make the pain go away.  Of course, as they always say, pain sometimes has to get worse before it gets better.”  She slowed the movements of her body as she stepped out of both of her platform heels and kicked them to the side.  She ran her fingers along the hem of her black dress and wiggled her hips as she pulled it up over her head.  Then, she tossed it to the floor and stood in front of him in her vibrant red lace bra and panties.

Josh reached for her but she intercepted his hands and pushed them to the side. 

“Uh, uh.  You keep your hands to yourself and listen to me.  Head my every word.  If you don’t, I’ll be tempted to tie them to the bed posts.”  Even though she teased him, part of her remained serious.  She wanted to be able to touch him at her leisure without becoming sidetracked by his need for control.

No control, not tonight.

His suit coat had already been tossed on the back of a velvet chair.  She made short work of his buttons, tugged his shirt from his pants and peeled it off him as she stroked the exposed skin with her nimble fingers.  She loved his upper body, all sinew and corded muscle.  His belt came next.  Then his zipper.  She tugged his pants over his hips and let them drop to the floor.  With a gentle shove, she tipped him backwards so the momentum propelled him onto the bed on his back.  With Josh prone, it became easy to move his pants the rest of the way and slip his socks off his feet.  Much better.