"You."
"Do you like what you see?"
I smiled and rolled my eyes. "You just want me to stroke your ego."
He nodded and wiggled his eyebrows, the gesture exaggerated. "That's not all I fucking want you to stroke," he said.
I laughed. "Filthy boy."
"You seem to bring it out of me," he said, reaching for me, and I side-stepped him. "Oh, is that how it's going to be? I will chase you down if I have to."
"Come and get me then," I said, turning and heading through the room. From behind me, Silas laughed, catching me as I rounded the hallway.
"Good thinking," he said, picking me up, his hands under my ass. I wrapped my legs around his waist. "I haven't had you in this room yet."
***
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SILAS
Tempest laughed. "So you're going to have me everywhere in this hotel suite?"
I looked at her. "Did you think I was fucking joking?" I asked. "It's been seven years since I've seen you. I've got a lot of pent up shit to work out with you."
That was a goddamned understatement.
Besides, I was going back home, not sticking around in Vegas. Who the hell even knew where Tempest was going, or where she lived anymore? If I was going to work out all this angst with her, now was my only option.
"You're going to work it out by fucking me all over this hotel, then?" Tempest asked.
"That seems like as good of a plan as any," I said. "I told you I was going to take you all over here. I just haven't decided where the hell I want you."
The grand piano was just sitting there, taunting me.
So I walked over to it, still holding Tempest, and she glanced over her shoulder, laughing. "The piano?" she asked. “Really?”
“What?” I asked. “The top of it is down. I’m sure it can hold you.”
“Oh, just me, then?” she asked. “You’re not about to climb up there with me?”
“Well, let’s not be fucking ridiculous,” I said, setting her ass on the edge of the piano and pushing apart her thighs.
Tempest laughed, leaning forward, her hair spilling over her forehead and obscuring her eyes. “You’re the one putting my naked ass on top of a piano,” she said. “Who do you think you are, Christian what's-his-name?”
I pulled her forward so that her ass was on the edge, and bent down, touching my tongue to her. “You taste so fucking sweet, I can't help it,” I said. “And who the hell is Christian? I hope you're not talking about a boyfriend.”
She didn't answer, just let out a moan as I began to lick her slowly, carefully, my tongue exploring her before I focused on her clit. Tempest grasped the back of my head, pushed me tighter against her and I pulled back. "So?" I asked.
“So, what?” she murmured, her breath ragged.
“Who's this Christian guy?”
“You know. From that book, the BDSM one,” she said, and I covered her clit again just to tease her, sucking it into my mouth and eliciting another moan from her. I teased her entrance with my tongue, her taste sweet and salty at the same time. "I can't...remember...the name...right now."
“I was thinking that eating you out on the piano would be more like that movie, the one with the rich businessman and the prostitute.” I slid my finger inside her, stroking her gently while I returned my mouth to her clit.
When she spoke, her words were punctuated with gasps. “You remember.”
I looked up at her from between her thighs. “I remember you forced me to watch it,” I said, slipping a second finger inside her.
“Oh, God, yes,” she said, tossing her head back. “You...were...a….shit...I mean, a sport...about it.”
“I just wanted to get in your pants,” I said, returning my mouth to her clit.
She gripped me tighter, pressing me against her again, her moans coming more frequently now. My cock was rock hard. I don't know what the hell it was about this girl. But something about her still made me crazy.
"Just like now," she said, her words blurred together. "Shit...Silas."
I kept going, finding a rhythm with my fingers, stroking her while I pulled her clit into my mouth. "Oh, darlin', I'm not trying to get in your pants anymore," I said. "That's a done deal. I'm about make you come on my tongue, and then I'm going to ride you until you come again."
I slipped my fingers out and buried my face between her legs, tasting her sweetness. I fucked her with my tongue until she came, squeezing my head between her thighs as she leaned forward and clutched my head against her. When she finished, I could taste her on my lips, on my tongue.
But I didn't give her any time to recover. Instead, I slid her off the piano while she was still relaxed, her head against my neck, and deposited her on the nearest thing I could find, this long lounge chair covered in soft velvety-looking fabric.
Then I did what I'd promised. I slid my cock inside her wet pussy, still throbbing from her orgasm, and rode her until I couldn't hold out anymore, finally letting go inside her.
After, I pulled her tight against me, feeling the warmth of her body on mine, listening to the sound of her breathing in the stillness of the room. I wanted to stay like this, life on pause, lying here with her and pretending that there was something more to this than what it was.
But that was stupid, and she and I both knew that.
What was happening now was what it was. We were working out something from the past and nothing more. Tempest was a con artist, someone who deceived innocent people. No matter how hard it was to imagine, that was a fact.
This was closure, pure and simple.
It couldn't be anything else.
Even if I wanted it to be.
TEMPEST
I ran my finger up and down the back of his hand, where his palm was pressed firmly against my abdomen. It was dangerous, lying here with him as if we were a couple, two regular people with normal lives. It felt too familiar, too homey.
I reminded myself that there was nothing between us anymore.
Anything I was feeling right now was just an artifact of the past, a remnant of some childhood crush, the haze and delirium and stupidity of young love.
And everyone knew you couldn’t trust your feelings when it came to teenage love.
That’s all Silas was, and nothing more.
“Silas?” I asked.
“Yeah, bright eyes.” His hand paused in its place on my stomach.
“I am sorry, you know.” I thought he knew, but it seemed important to say.
“I know,” he said, kissing the back of my head. He was silent for a long time before he spoke again. “Are you staying in Vegas?”
“No.” I didn't elaborate. He didn’t need to know where I was going next. What would be the point? I was a grifter. I didn’t stay in the same place longer than it took to run a con. I didn’t date. I didn’t do relationships. I sure as hell didn’t fall in love.
But Silas didn’t ask me to elaborate. He didn't ask any more questions, just rolled me over onto my back, slid his cock into me, and fucked me slowly, his eyes locked on mine the entire time.
I told myself that what was happening between us was closure.
And the next morning, when we said goodbye, I reminded myself of that fact.
The problem was that when I said goodbye, it didn't feel like closure. It felt like I'd just hit the pause button on us.
And that scared me.
***
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SILAS
"You look...rested," Trigg said, emphasizing the word, a huge grin plastered across his face. He laughed loudly at his own joke.
"Shut the hell up," I said. "What's going on, anyway? Why does Deborah want to give back the money?"
Trigg shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "But she wants to meet and give it back to you. She said she couldn't reach you because your phone was off. I didn't tell her that the reason your phone was off was because you pulled the hot television producer chick from the bar the other night. I didn't
know you even had it in you, man." He paused, chuckling. "But I guess you got it in her, right?"
"What are you, twelve years old?" I asked. "I'm not going to let Deborah give back the money. Did you tell her that?"
Trigg nodded. "I did. Johnny said they're flush."
"How are they suddenly flush?"
"She wouldn't say over the phone," he said. "That's why we need to go by in person. But they're insisting on giving it back. That's all I know. Now, tell me about the girl. Was she as hot as she looked like she'd be in bed?"
"I'm not fucking talking to you about this, Trigg."
Trigg laughed. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't realize you were all in love with her already."
"Shut up," I said. "I'm not in love with her."
I told myself I meant it.
***
"I don't understand, Deborah." The envelope of cash sat untouched on the table between us. "That was a gift."
"You need it more than we do, Silas," she said. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was practically beaming.
"What happened? Did you win the damn lottery?" I asked.
"Sort of," she said. "I can't really talk about it."
"Well, you need to, because I'm not taking back this money until you tell me what's going on."
"It's nothing bad, Silas," she said. "It's the exact opposite, actually. Someone went out of their way to set things right with Coker. We're okay now. Forever."
I shook my head. "Shit, Deborah," I said. "If something sounds too good to be true, it definitely is. Does this involve money? I don't want to see you and Johnny wind up hurt."
"It's kosher," she said. "We've met with an attorney. There's a trust set up."
"I don't understand," I said. "From Coker?"
Deborah shrugged. "My employer made the arrangements - one of the guys I clean houses for. He said that Coker had seen the error of his ways."
I glanced at Trigg, whose eyes were wide. "That doesn't sound like Coker," I said.
Deborah smiled. "I don't care if Coker was pressured into giving us that money, or if he did it because he found Jesus. All I care about is the fact that the money is real, Silas, and that we can move out of this hellhole neighborhood and that my daughter is not going to get shot going to school."
"Deborah, I would really make sure this isn't anything illegal -"
Deborah stood up. "No more, Silas," she said. "Even if that money wasn't obtained in the most appropriate of ways, I've assured that we're okay. And I won't hear of you not taking that purse back. I know you've got your own things to worry about."
I looked at Trigg, and he shook his head. "Okay, Deborah," I said. "I'm going to trust you know what you're doing."
"Thank you," she said. "Now, smile. This is a good day."
I waited until we were driving away to say anything else about it. "What the fuck is going on?"
"You know as much as I do, man," Trigg said.
"What the hell happened in the past few days?"
"You mean, in the past few days while you were holed up in the hotel room, banging the TV producer?" Trigg asked, grinning.
"I'm not talking about her," I warned.
"I don't know, man," he said. "Nothing happened that I've heard about. There's no way the money came from Coker, for fuck's sake. Can you see Coker having any remorse - giving Johnny money?"
"No," I agreed. "It's insane. Still, poke around in it, will you? See if anyone's talking about anything like that going down. I'd just like to know that's not money from a drug lord or something - I don't know what the hell - being laundered or something."
"Right on," Trigg said. "Are you sticking around here or heading out?"
"I have to get back to West Bend and take this car back to my brother," I said. "But do you remember what you said about those friends of yours, the ones in the biker club?"
"The ones who'd take care of Coker -"
"Yeah, those ones," I said. "Make some inquiries on that, too, if you would."
"I don't need to make inquiries on that," Trigg said. "You give the word, and they'll take care of it. Coker didn't try to have me killed, though, so it's not my call. It's you or Johnny or Abel who need to make that decision."
I nodded. "I'll think on it."
***
"Where the hell have you been?" Elias looked behind me to the driveway.
I tossed him the keys to the car. "Don't worry, your precious baby is just fine." I paused. "Sort of. I need to get it detailed."
"What?" Elias asked, pushing me aside to go look in the car. "Did you fucking eat in there?"
"It's only crumbs," I yelled to his back as he went to the car. "Don't worry. I wrapped the dead body in the trunk in tarp first."
"How are you, Silas?" River opened the door but poked her head out, looking at Elias, before she raised her eyebrows at me. "He really is particular about that car, isn't he?"
"Particular is one word for it," I said. "A better word is crazy. So this is the new place?" Even though I'd gone to Los Angeles with Elias when he went to tell River he loved her, I still couldn't believe the Hollywood movie star had come back here to West Bend to settle down.
If I had to be honest with myself, I was a little bit jealous. You'd think a big time star like that would be stuck up and spoiled, but River seemed to really care about my twin brother. I wanted something like what they had.
I thought I'd had that special thing with Tempest, years ago. But I was wrong. Being with her for the past couple days in Vegas started reminding me way too much of how it was with her back then.
It stirred up old feelings in me, and that wasn't good.
"Yep." She smiled. "It's starting to look good in here, too. We're getting all settled in now. Do you want something to drink?"
"Coffee would be good, if you have it," I said, as I followed her into the kitchen. "How is life outside of the Hollywood scene? Are you getting bored with West Bend yet?"
"Not yet." She opened the fridge. "Do you want milk for your coffee? Oh, here. Fix it however you want. The sugar is on the counter."
I dumped a couple of spoonfuls of sugar into the cup, and took a sip. "It's a pretty big change of pace for you, isn't it?"
River shrugged. "You'd think so," she said. "But West Bend