Thursday, 9:53 am
“Who the fuck put the kitchen on the second floor?”
Ashlee’s head appeared as she climbed the stairs to the open kitchen, her eyes taking in the large dining table, massive island, rack hanging from the ceiling with pots and pans dangling off hooks, and a fully-stocked fridge. Fresh from a shower, she wore a plush, light pink terry cloth robe. Her damp hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she’d already applied some makeup to make herself more presentable. Even though she kept the makeup to a minimum compared to some of the other ladies in my company, I’d learned that she never left her room without it, always wanting to look her best, even if it was to get breakfast after a shower.
“I dunno,” I said, piling some fresh-cut watermelon on a plate next to a few pieces of link sausage. The dining room table had been set with plates, and the island contained a well-placed assortment of breakfast. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, omelets, bacon, toast, fruit, and several other types of food were all present, being kept warm thanks to burners underneath the catering hardware. There was enough here to feed a small army.
“Well, they should be fired,” Ashlee said as she approached the island and scanned the different food. “It’s bad floor planning for a luxury stay.”
Making sure she was distracted, I picked up my phone and texted, Now.
“It’s not that bad,” I said and took a bite of sausage. “A little exercise helps wake you up.”
“Ugh. Please tell me you’re not a morning person. That’s a red flag,” Ashlee said in disgust.
“God, no! That’s why the stairs are a good thing. I need all the help I can get.”
“That’s what coffee is for,” Ashlee muttered. “Speaking of which, where is it?”
I pointed toward the far end of the kitchen, where a full cappuccino machine sat.
“Oh, thank god!” she said, grabbing a cup and heading toward the caffeine.
My phone started buzzing, and I answered, “Hello?”
“Hello, my handsome boss,” Erin said. Her tone was teasing and playful.
“Oh, hey, Erin. What’s up?” I asked, sounding more businesslike.
“I just thought I’d let you know that I’m lying in bed naked and all alone.”
I glanced at Ashlee, who was working the cappuccino machine. “What? They found him?”
“I don’t know if they found him,” Erin replied, “but I found what I’m looking for. I’m rubbing my clit right now, thinking about that big, hard dick inside of me.”
I turned away from Ashlee so she couldn’t see the grin I was failing to suppress. The last thing I needed her to see was me grinning at the “news” I was receiving.
“Wait. What?” I said, regaining my composure before turning around. As I suspected, my exclamation had attracted Ashlee’s attention, and she turned to watch me with interest as the cappuccino poured her coffee.
“You heard me.” Erin purred, “I’m getting off just thinking about what I missed out on. Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to taste that little bitch?”
I swallowed and cut my eyes back over to Ashlee, imagining what it would have been like to fuck Erin while she was going down on the princess. “So, they’re sure it’s Cartwright?” I asked, maintaining my facade. I watched Ashlee’s face carefully for any sign that she recognized the name, but at that moment, she raised her cup to her lips, blocking half her face. She was too far away to pick up anything just off her eyes.
“Mm… how did she taste?” Erin asked, her voice a little breathless. Fuck, she really was masturbating. That was hot.
“Okay. Thanks, Erin. Tell…” I decided it was better not to mention my investigator by name while one of the people he was investigating was within earshot, “our guy to keep us updated.”
“Yes, sir,” Erin whispered into the phone, “I’ll text you the moment I cum.”
I hung up, and despite having morning sex, I had to fake reading a text to give my boner time to settle down.
“What was that about?” Ashlee asked casually.
“Nothing, “I said as I turned back to her. She approached me while my back was turned and stood a few feet away. “Well, not nothing. You remember me telling you about the guy with the gun who stopped by the bathroom?”
“Yeah?”
“They arrested him early this morning and have him in a holding cell. Someone from YPV is headed to the station to file a report on my behalf.”
“Oh!” Ashlee said, looking slightly alarmed. It wouldn’t have been enough to make me think anything was amiss, but I found it a little suspicious, considering what I knew. “That’s good! Have they gotten any information out of him?”
I decided less information was better. “I don’t know. They just told Erin that the guy matched the de***********ion and had the same name. Hopefully, we can get more information from him over the next twenty-four hours.”
“Morning,” Shea said as she appeared at the stairs.
“Hey! Morning!” I said without taking my eyes off Ashlee, who looked like she wanted to ask me another question. Finally, she tore her gaze from me to look at Shea.
“Good morning,” she said as a slight blush crept across her cheeks. It was the first time she’d seen Shea since she woke up this morning.
The night had gone well. Ashlee never went down on the woman who had shared our bed, but that hadn’t stopped her from exploring Shea in other ways. They kissed a surprising amount, she spent a gratuitous amount of time on the older woman’s tits, and they had even ground their crotches against each other. Ashlee came twice while Shea went down on her, two more times with her fingers, and at least twice on my cock. While not extremely bisexual, there was no mistaking that Ashlee appeared to enjoy herself most of last night.
The three of us exchanged a few pleasantries about how we slept and mentioned having shower sex this morning. Shea expressed sorrow for missing out but returned to her room to get some sleep after we were all thoroughly worn out. Ashlee hadn’t said anything but seemed grateful for the alone time with me.
When Shea asked what we were up to today, Ashlee expressed a desire to do more shopping since she was fifteen thousand dollars richer than yesterday. Shea was interested, but I begged off, saying I wanted to spend some time with my sister today, which was true. I knew Emily well enough to know that accidentally inviting herself on this trip was still eating at her, and I wanted to reassure her that it was okay.
Ashlee pouted about not going with them, but didn’t push me too hard. Perhaps she thought I’d think less of her if she attempted to deprive me of time with my sister. Having Shea go with her placated her. Despite the slight awkwardness from her, the princess appeared to enjoy Shea’s company.
My phone buzzed again, and I checked it to find a message from Helen. Opening it, I was treated to the familiar sight of Bobbi’s pale ass on my bed; her cheeks were marked thoroughly with crimson. Another image appeared – this time Bobbi’s face. Her heavy mascara ran down her cheeks, and several dark trails ran down Helen’s hand as it cupped her chin. The dominant’s thumb was inserted in the younger woman’s mouth.
Bobbi’s ruined mascara and damp cheeks suggested that Helen had pushed her hard, but I couldn’t be sure of how she was feeling based on the image. Based on the way Bobbi’s lips were firmly sealed on Helen’s thumb, it almost looked like she was sucking on it with enthusiasm. Was Helen actually getting through to Bobbi? Was the wicked bitch actually submitting willingly?
I had to know more.
Ashlee was recounting her shopping adventures from yesterday, and Shea looked like she was listening with genuine interest. I was done eating, so I excused myself. “I need to make a call, and then I’m gonna make sure the others are up.”
“Okay!” Ashlee said and then looked at me expectantly. I walked over and pressed my lips to hers for what was supposed to be a quick kiss, but she grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me against her, giving me a heated kiss that did nothing to assuage the growing hard-on that Bobbi’s images had instigated.
Once we were finished and I pulled away, Ashlee licked her bottom lip and grinned at me. “That’ll need to last me a while, so I wanted a good one.”
“It certainly was,” Shea said, smiling over her cup of coffee. I looked at her, and she gave me a wink.
Then I kissed Ashlee back just as thoroughly, if not quite as long, and said, “Can’t wait to see you later.” With that, I left the ladies to talk about their day, calling Helen on my way down the stairs.
“Hello, Marcus,” Helen answered. “I thought you might call.”
“When were those taken?”
“Last night,” Helen said. I could hear the amusement in her voice. “She had an accident in the kitchen yesterday morning and refused to clean it up.”
“Yeah. I was there for it but didn’t have time to deal with her crap. How did that go?”
“Oh, it’s clean now,” she said. “I think we made some progress last night.”
“Fuck,” I said, my cock quickly growing to full hardness as I replayed scenes of her and Bobbi in my mind. “Helen, I just had shower sex less than an hour ago, and you’re making me hard again.”
“Oh? I’m sorry I can’t be there with my pet to take care of it for you.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “I appreciate what you’re doing with her, and thank you for the pics.”
“No,” Helen said, her flirtatious tone dropping, “Thank you, Marcus. I’ve… not been in control like this before. It’s…” She hesitated, and despite how hot the moment was, I was present enough to realize a moment of vulnerability when I heard it.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” she finally finished.
The sincerity and heartfeltness seemed a little fucked-up considering the context, but it still warmed my heart a little that she was so grateful for what I’d given her. “My pleasure.”
“How are things going with Ashlee?”
I turned and made my way down the hall toward the rooms, deciding to pay Natashya a visit and maybe play with her for a few minutes, since Helen put me in the mood. “Honestly, I can’t decide whether I like her or not. There are some instances where she doesn’t seem that bad, but then she does or says something, and I’m like ‘there it is.’ I think a lot of the brattiness is a cover for some real insecurities.”
“Oh, that’s definitely true,” Helen said. “Have you managed to get anything on her relationship with Cartwright?”
“Not yet,” I said as I reached Natashya’s room. “I’ll text you what I’ve found. I need to let you go for now. Going to get ready for the day.”
“Alright,” Helen said. “I’ll tell Bobbi you said ‘hi.’”
“Please send me a pic of it when you do,” I said and hung up the phone, wondering how Helen would relay the message.
Deciding to surprise Natashya by going down on her as a wake-up call, I carefully turned the knob to her room. I opened the door to find myself staring at a fully nude Emily straddling Natashya’s face.
Natashya’s hair splayed across the mattress as she lay beneath my sister, clutching her ass in both hands as she enthusiastically ate her out. Emily had both arms raised, holding her long brown hair back to keep it out of her face. Her heavy, pale breasts hung from her chest like large teardrops tipped with dark pink areolas and nipples about the size of pencil erasers. She had a perfect hourglass shape, with flared hips that were rolling back and forth on her companion’s face. Her eyes were closed as her head rolled back. Her perfect, plush lips parted as she let out a quiet whimper.
“Oh shit!” I said in complete shock.
Emily’s eyes shot open, and she looked directly at me. The last thing I saw before slamming the door shut and cutting myself off from the view was the abject horror on her face. A muffled squeal came through the door as I backed away from it, followed by her indistinct cursing.
“Fuck! Fuck!” I spat under my breath.
A second later, Chloe stepped around the corner in the same tank top and panties I’d seen her in last night with a gun in both her hands. Jon was right behind her with his gun drawn. The door next to Natashya’s room opened and Erin poked her head out.
“What’s the matter?” Erin asked, her eyes wide.
“Fuck!”
“What is it?” Chloe said as she approached me.
“Nothing!” I said to both of them as I leaned up against the wall. I buried my face in my hands. “I just opened a door I should have knocked on first.”
At that point, Chloe reached me and cut her eyes to the door I’d just slammed shut. “That Natashya’s room?”
Still hiding my face, I nodded.
“Is she in there alone?”
I hesitated, then shook my head. I heard Jon mutter something unintelligible and peered through my fingers, seeing him holstering his gun. Erin looked from me to the door, then back at me, and I could see the light come; her eyes grew huge, and she pursed her lips, covering them with her hand as she stifled a laugh.
“Oh shit.” She said behind her fingers.
Chloe turned to say something to Jon, and the man headed back down the hall.
Normally, walking in on my naked sister wouldn’t have been the end of the world. I would have been shocked, given her an apology for not knocking, and we would have laughed about it later. Walking in and finding your sister being intimate with a lover would have been worse, but nothing I couldn’t have recovered from.
However, finding her with someone I had sex with less than twenty-four hours ago was a completely different story. Catching my sister in the act when I’d come here specifically to have sex with her partner was especially appalling. Even worse, I was turned on and horrified at the same time, and every time I shut my eyes, all I saw was Emily’s nude form as she ground her crotch against Natashya. My libido was screaming. Good thing I was rich. I would need a lot of therapy after this.
Better yet, how much would it cost to get a do-over button?
“Okay, bye,” I said and headed to my room. Closing the door behind me, I started to change as I thought over the implications of what I had witnessed.
Was I mad? What was there to be mad about? Natashya and I weren’t dating, and we were sleeping with other women, so that couldn’t be the problem. No, this had everything to do with Emily. Should Natashya have checked with me before sleeping with her? Maybe? Would I have been okay with them sleeping together? Well, I couldn’t blame either of them for wanting it.
Nope. I needed to stop that line of thought immediately. Emily was my sister and a best friend. No matter how attractive she was, I did not want to go down that mental path. Not with my sister.
Well, technically step-sister.
I squashed that thought immediately as I angrily put on my pants. Okay, yeah. I was a little mad at Natashya because things were weird now.
As I pulled a shirt from the closet, there was a knock on the door. I threw it over my shoulders and said, “Come in!”
Natashya opened the room just enough to slip in and closed it behind her. She stared at me as I pulled my shirt closed and started buttoning it up. After a few seconds of silence she smiled sheepishly at me and said, “So, that happened.”
I held her mahogany gaze as I finished buttoning up my shirt, unsure what to say. At least she didn’t look completely remorseless.
“Are you mad?” she asked.
“What do you think?” I said as I tucked my shirt into my pants.
“I think you have a right to be,” Natashya said as she took a few steps toward me. Her hair was up in a thick ponytail, and she was wearing a thin silk robe that was loosely cinched around her. The lapels of her robe didn’t overlap until they reached near the bottom of her sternum, and they hung off her shoulders in a way that revealed a tempting amount of neck and chest. I would have bet a billion dollars she did it on purpose.
“But,” she continued, “in my defense, you did leave me to sleep with Ashlee and Shea.”
“So, sleep with Erin,” I retorted, trying to maintain eye contact. It wasn’t hard; Natashya’s eyes were one of her best features, but that robe was thin, and she had a lot of other assets that were almost as nice. “She knows her way around. I’ve seen it.”
Natashya’s seductive, coy facade slipped a little. “Are you really mad?”
I sighed and said, “I don’t know. I just didn’t expect to see that when I walked in.”
“I’m sorry if I overstepped. With the way we have been, I thought it would be okay. I even mentioned your sister and how attractive she was yesterday. I could tell-”
“Don’t,” I said. There was no mistaking my tone this time. I didn’t need her to lead me down that path when it was so easy without her help.
“Okay.” She studied my face and finally said, “I messed up.”
“Maybe.” I sat on the bed and said, “Maybe I’m overreacting. You’re right. I’ve been pretty loose with my dick, so I can see how you might have thought it was fine. Still… it was my sister. The thought that I might not be okay with it should have crossed your mind.”
Natashya looked guilty as she said, “It did, but I might have rationalized a justification. I’ve always been more of an ‘easier to ask for forgiveness than permission’ sort of girl.”
She gave me a small, fleeting smile. She really did look like she was sorry.
“Who came onto who?”
“We hit it off yesterday while we were shopping. She told me about Daniel.”
That was surprising. Emily rarely talked about Daniel.
“It was only friendliness at first. And then after giving you the lap dance, we had a few more drinks, and things got a little more flirtatious.”
“How long did you guys stay? I didn’t notice anything.”
Natashya gave me a crooked smile, “You wouldn’t have. Ashlee had you wrapped around finger.”
There it was again. Natashya’s English as a second language was only perceptible by an occasional lilt or a missing word, but when it happened, it was super attractive.
“Fair enough,” I said. I had known I would end up in bed with Ashlee, but her enthusiastic insistence that Shea join us excited me, making it difficult to concentrate on anything else.
Natashya continued, “You, Shea, and Ashlee left. Chloe went with you. Erin said she had some things to do for you and left soon after. That just left Emily and me alone. That’s when she kissed me.”
“She kissed you?”
Natashya nodded. “She’s an attractive woman, so…”
I couldn’t argue that, and despite my sensibilities, my mind ran through what I’d seen once more: Emily nude, her heavy, pendulous breasts swaying, arms stretched overhead while she was lost in a moment of bliss. It would have taken a master artist to capture the beauty burned in my brain.
Despite who I was picturing at that moment, I could feel my hard-on twitch, and I shifted on my mattress a little uncomfortably. It didn’t go unnoticed with Natashya, though. Her brown eyes flickered to my crotch, and she gave me a crooked smile.
“I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
I gave her a look. “You gotta stop.”
“Okay,” she said, taking pity on me, “but you cannot go back out there in this condition.” Her gaze dared me to object.
“You know I was going to sneak into your room and eat you out, right?”
“Given the situation, I think you’re entitled to receive oral sex,” she said, untying her robe and letting it slip from her shoulders. I couldn’t help staring at this goddess who displayed her body to others for a living. She was in ridiculously good shape.
She stepped forward and slowly dropped to her knees, staring at my crotch as she placed her hands on my thighs and ran them up and down. Her gaze flicked up to me, and she gave me a crooked grin.
“Try not to think of Emily.”
“Oh, fuck you!” I said and dropped back on the mattress and closed my eyes as I felt her hands travel up to my crotch and unfasten my belt. I tried my best to think of anything but what I’d seen and failed miserably. What’s worse, it didn’t take long for Natashya to finish me off.
Thursday 12:32 pm
“Hit,” I said.
The dealer laid a card next to my collection – a nine of hearts, which brought me to a grand total of twenty-three – a bad number in blackjack.
“Dammit,” I muttered, losing my third hand in a row. I threw a couple of chips to the dealer and watched Emily finish out her hand next to me while Natashya hung off my shoulder.
The three of us, along with Ray and the Johns, were hanging out in the casino while the others decided to go shopping for the day. It was originally supposed to be Ashlee and Shea, but I asked Chloe to accompany them. For one thing, I didn’t want Chloe to spend the entire trip just watching over me when there were four other competent men to keep me safe. I hoped she would take a little bit of time to enjoy herself, even if I wasn’t sure how that was accomplished other than getting off while peeking at other people having sex.
Speaking of which, between shower sex with Ashlee, catching my sister riding my fuckbuddy’s face, and then getting blown by that same fuckbuddy, I hadn’t had the opportunity to confront Chloe about catching us. Since she didn’t bring it up, I took the hint that she was completely fine with neither of us acknowledging that it happened.
The other reason l sent Chloe off was that I wanted her to keep a close eye on Ashlee. If she came across an opportunity to get information from the paralegal, I wanted her to take it. Chloe was usually terse and struck me as someone who didn’t mince many words, but she had proven surprisingly adept at playing the courtesan when needed. Last night, she’d been fun and flirty around the gambling table and blended in well at the club. I had faith that Chloe could turn on the charm if needed.
On hearing there was another shopping trip, Erin decided to go with them. While she and Ashlee didn’t get along, she and Shea did. That could be useful in giving Chloe some alone time with the younger VanCamp. That aside, Erin also had some things she wanted to get while we were here. With splitting up as a possibility, Chloe decided to take Jon with her. That left Emily, Natashya, the Johns, Ray, and me to fend for ourselves. At first, things felt awkward between Emily, Natashya, and me, but as the hours wore on, .
The dealer flipped over a card, revealing a Jack of Clubs. Since she already had a soft eighteen, the Jack made it a hard eighteen. Emily hesitated and then decided to stay. The dealer, who had a sixteen, laid down one more card – a six of hearts, giving him a twenty-two. Emily jerked her head up at me in shock and squealed; Natashya managed to clear out of the way as my sister threw her arms around me and squealed. Her luck at the table games hadn’t been stellar, so this win meant a lot to her. That was also her last hand for Blackjack. She collected her winnings and tipped the dealer.
Natashya pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked it as we walked away from the table. “Ooh!” she said. “It’s Rose! I should take this. This might take a few minutes. I’ll catch up with you.” She answered the phone and fell behind us, and one of the Johns went with her, leaving us with the other John and Ray.
“How are you gonna spend your money?” I asked Emily after Natashya disappeared.
“I can keep it?” she asked. I’d given her the same amount I’d given Ashlee, and like her, she was very deep in the red.
“Of course,” I said.
She threw her arms around me for another hug, pulling me tightly against her. Unlike several of the other girls, she didn’t have to be on her toes; she was only a handful of inches shorter than me.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“Anytime,” I whispered back.
We parted, and I noticed a tinge of red in her cheeks as she brushed some dark brown hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She gave me a shy smile as we continued walking down the aisle of the main floor, occasionally dodging a casino patron.
A few moments later, she said, “So, about earlier…”
“Hey,” I cut her off. Here’s an idea. Let’s never talk about it,”
“Are you sure?”
“You’re not?” I asked, looking at her.
“Well, you guys are dating. I don’t want you to be mad at me.”
“I just gave you a little over nine thousand dollars,” I said. “People don’t do that for people they’re mad at.”
“So you’re not mad?”
“No.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
She watched me for a long moment with her beautiful slate eyes and then said, “Okay.”
I could have ended it there. I should have ended it there, but I couldn’t help myself. A few seconds later, I asked, “Why did you sleep with her if you thought I’d be mad?”
“She said it would be fine,” Emily said. “And after you and Ashlee, it seemed like you two had some kind of understanding, especially with Shea being involved.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that; talking to my sister about my sex life wasn’t something I was used to. “Well, since we’re being honest, there isn’t an understanding as much as we’re just sleeping together.”
“Ah. So you’re not actually dating anyone?” she finally asked.
I thought of Natalie and realized I had gone twenty-four hours without her crossing my mind, and a familiar pang resurfaced. “There was someone. We almost dated, but it didn’t work out.”
“So you’re just dating multiple women at once, now?”
“I’m not officially dating anyone right now. Just sleeping with a few of them. Is that a problem?” I asked.
“No!” she interjected, looking at me. Then she looked down at the floor as we walked by the craps tables. “I mean, not really. It just doesn’t seem like you. You always struck me as a serial monogamist.”
“Heh. Natashya said something similar. She thinks I fall in love too easily.”
“You do,” she confirmed. “I told her to watch out for that while we were talking yesterday, but I like her, and I told her she might be good for you.”
“You liked her, huh?” I asked dryly. “I couldn’t tell.”
Emily’s face flushed at that. “That was all before the club!” she said and swatted my arm. “Then I realized things were a little non-traditional between you guys. Once you left with Ashlee and Shea, I asked Natashya about it, and she filled me in on some of the details.”
“How much did she tell you?”
“I mean, she didn’t go into extreme specifics or anything, but she told me a little about The Starlight and this past weekend. She said that while Shea took care of us on the plane, you were in the hot tub with her and Erin.” She back up at me and asked, “So, you’re banging the secretary too?”
I met her gaze but didn’t respond.
“God,” she said in mock disgust. “Way to play to the stereotype.”
“Have you seen Erin?” I asked. “Have you met her?”
“Oh, I get it. She’s…” Emily made a chef’s kiss motion. “I’m not surprised. I like her too. When I first met her, I thought you’d end up dating her, so I was surprised when I found out about Natashya. Then, I was even more surprised when I found out about Ashlee. I know it’s a little weird because of the man with the gun or whatever, but she genuinely seems into you. Have you had sex with every woman here?”
“No.”
“I meant besides me, dummy.”
“No,” I repeated. “Chloe.”
“You haven’t had sex with Chloe?” Emily sounded surprised.
“No.”
“I didn’t see that coming.”
“Why?”
“I’ve seen the way she watches you. I just assumed…”
I shook my head. “That would be a bad idea. She’s supposed to be my bodyguard. She can’t do that very well if we’re having sex.”
“I just thought that’s what the guys were for. Have you banged them?”
“Ew. No.”
“What ew? Homophobic much?”
“No! I’m just not into it.”
“Relax. I’m just messing with you.”
“Speaking of which, I didn’t know you were into girls.”
“I dabbled a little in college.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. Remember Sydney?”
“Your roommate?” A light suddenly went off in my head as a mystery that had always bothered me was resolved. I spent a weekend at her dorm, checking out the school as a possibility after high school. I recalled walking into her dorm that Saturday night and finding them scrambling on the bed together, looking guilty as hell. On questioning them, Sydney confessed that they had been smoking weed and even managed to produce a fresh joint. Our mom had a zero-tolerance policy on drugs, so I was glad enough for the rare opportunity to smoke that it hadn’t occurred to me that I couldn’t smell weed nor that they only had unlit joints.
“Yeah,” she said, “her and one other.”
I arched an eyebrow at her.
“Not at the same time,” she said, giving me another swat.
“Nothing recent, though?”
“Not till last night,” Emily said, shaking her head.
“Ah,” I said, glancing around at all the mid-day gamblers. “What changed? Why her?”
“It’s been a while since… y’know.”
It took me a second to catch on. “Oh! Really?”
Emily wouldn’t look at me, but I could see unshed tears in her eyes. “Yeah. Since LA.”
Still not looking at me, she wrapped her arms around herself, and I put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close as we continued to walk. There were two subjects we never talked about – Daniel and LA. This was the first time she mentioned either in over a year, so I knew to tread carefully.
“I’m glad you could find something after all this time,” I said, leaning my head against hers.
“Yeah. It was nice to talk to her. She’s pretty wild, but once you get to know her, she seems insightful.”
“Yeah,” I said and gave her shoulder a little squeeze. “I noticed.”
She pulled her head away and glanced at me, looking a little less like someone had just killed her puppy. “Thanks for not yelling at me about it.”
“There’s nothing to yell about,” I said. “Are you interested in continuing with her? Or is it a one-time thing?”
“I… it was really good for me,” she said, her watery eyes looking into mine. “I wouldn’t say no if it happened again, but I know that’s weird if you keep seeing her. I wouldn’t do it again if it bothered either of you.”
“So it’s just a hookup for you?”
She gave me a funny look and said, “It’s a little too soon to be talking about relationships, and it’s not something I thought about anyway because you guys were a thing. I don’t think I would have even kissed her if it hadn’t been for all the alcohol.”
“That’s not a yes.”
“I don’t know, Marcus,” she said, slightly annoyed. “How about you? Are you thinking about actually dating her?”
Stop falling for me. I’m not girlfriend material.
Natashya’s words from Saturday still rang clear in my head. It was a mantra I had to summon often when being intimate with her.
I shook my head. “No. I have it on good authority that she’s not girlfriend material.”
Emily looked a little puzzled by that but didn’t respond.
“Whatever you want to do, just be careful. You’ve come a long way, Em.”
She nodded. “Thanks. I will.”
I decided that if Natashya and Emily wanted to continue what they were doing, that would be the nail in the coffin for our sexual relationship. Sure, we fucked this morning and even had a great time, but I still had difficulty getting past the idea that she’d been eating out my sister just minutes before. I definitely made sure we didn’t kiss.
Weirdness aside, Emily had been through a lot, and if she needed this, I was more than willing to give up sex with Natashya for my sister. It wasn’t like I was starving for affection, though. I had Erin and Helen. Danni was still in my life until I heard differently, and now I could add Shea to the roster.
But, fuck… I liked having sex with that wild woman, and even if I had to give it up for a good reason, I would miss it.
“So, did she do the little swirl thing with her tongue? Or does that not apply to women,” I asked, looking to lighten the mood.
It worked. She lightly punched me in the chest and laughed. Then she held up a hand with her pinky extended and said, “Hey, the family can’t find out about any of this, right?”
“Oh god, yes,” I said, hooking my pinky in hers as we shook on it.
“Good,” she said. “Mom would kill us.” She laid her head back on my shoulder as we wandered down the rows of high-end gamblers, watching them idly as we held onto each other.
Roughly five minutes later, Natashya found us, her bright mahogany eyes shining and the dimples in her cheeks on full display as she smiled. “There you are!”
She approached and kissed me on the cheek. Then she gave me a second one and said, “That’s from Rose.”
“You know Rose?” Emily asked as Natashya gave her an identical kiss on the cheek.
“She was at our little gathering this weekend,” Natashya said.
Emily slipped free of my embrace as Natashya fell beside her. They started talking as if they were old friends, and after several minutes, I began to feel a little like a third wheel. I had a few things to take care of, so I let them have a little alone time.
“Hey,” I said. “I’m gonna get a bite to eat and call my CEO guy and catch up with him. You guys keep having fun, and I’ll text you in about an hour.”
“Your CEO guy… fancy!” Emily said. “Okay, go get some work done. We’ll try to make more money, then maybe hit up some stores.”
They gave me one last wave as they descended the aisle with one of the Johns trailing behind. Before disappearing into the crowd of patrons, I watched as they linked arms.
I sighed and turned to Ray and the other John. “Let’s find a bite to eat and get some of the boring stuff out of the way.”
I spent the next hour or so talking to Vikram and Chandler about business. Vikram was working on helping me understand the terms of the will better so I could understand why my grandfather would have left me with everything. Due to its length and complexity, he admitted it was a slog even for some of the sharpest lawyers. Still, so far, most of it had proven to be nothing more than an attempt to shore up my ownership of everything in case anyone decided to contest it. I let him get back to it, feeling like I hadn’t gained much insight into my grandfather’s motivations.
The discussion with Chandler proved much more fruitful. He played me an old teleconference meeting with Kelly Maddox so I could get an idea of who she was. In the video, she appeared in her mid-thirties with coal-black hair that hung in waves just past her shoulders. She had bangs and wore large wire-rimmed glasses. She wore dark eyeshadow and dark crimson lipstick. Everything about her screamed hot boss bitch that would eat any man in her way. Her tone as she spoke to others in the recording didn’t do her any favors.
He also showed me a few of the other key players, including Hiro Tanaka, Carla’s husband. That scanned; judging by the image, Hiro didn’t have a lot of fuel left in the tank, and I was willing to bet a lot of money that Carla got most of it when he was gone.
Once we got to a stopping point, we decided to end it there, planning on picking it back up tomorrow at roughly the same time.
“Alright, Chandler. Thanks for helping me get caught up.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Upton! Now, if that is all, I have a transition meeting to attend.”
“Transition meeting? For what?”
“A prominent railway line one of our subsidiaries purchased a month ago. The entire logistics division is in complete shambles, and it looks like it will absolutely obliterate their third quarter.”
“Oh,” I said, losing interest. I didn’t want to do more than the bare minimum while in Vegas. I assumed that was stuff I’d have to worry about in another week or two. “Well, good luck, sir.”
“Thank you, sir, but I’m afraid you will need the good luck! You are in Sin City, are you not?”
“Heh… true. Thanks for the luck. If I hit it big, I’ll split it with you.”
“I’ll hold you to it!”
I hung up on Chandler and noticed a few unread text messages from some friends, one from Natalie, another from my mother, and one from Charming Charity. I opened the one from the influencer first and read the message.
Hey. Hope you can still make it tonight. Remember, Silver Mirage rooftop.
It was accompanied by a picture of her looking up at the camera as she held it above her while standing outside. She wore a small, dark green bikini that didn’t leave much to the imagination, and her hair was tied back in a long, thick braid draped over one shoulder.
I took a few minutes to appreciate the image before responding, Hey, Charity. Yeah, I’ll be there!
Then I looked up Erin in my contacts. I was about to call her to let her know about the party, but then I thought that Ashlee might appreciate it if I notified her instead.
She picked up on the second ring. “Marcus! Hiiiii!”
“Ashlee! Hey. Are you drunk?”
“Just a little buzzed.”
“It sounds like you’re having fun.”
“Oh, we’re having a blast! I can’t wait to show you what I got!” She lowered her voice and whispered loudly, “Shea and I got something that matches!”
I heard someone giggle in the background and couldn’t help grinning at the thought of sharing another evening with Ashlee and Shea… especially if it was a more enthusiastic Ashlee.
“But that’s for later in the week!” she said. “Tonight, I want you all to myself, buster!”
I chuckled. “That’s fine. I can’t wait, but it might be a little later than expected. We’re invited to a rooftop party. Carlos Miguel will be there.”
There was screeching, and I had to hold my phone away from my ear until it died. Eventually, I explained the situation to Ashlee and told her when it would be, deciding to give her a time a couple of hours later than I planned on being there. That would give me time to enjoy the party without worrying about Ashlee hanging on my arm the entire time. I had enjoyed flirting with Charity, and I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself as much as I wanted with Ashlee nearby. The problem was that a small part of me felt terrible about continuously running around behind Ashlee’s back. We weren’t dating, but it was starting to feel that way despite primarily bringing her along to discover her connection with Cartwright.
Surely, there had to be better ways of getting the information out of her that didn’t require acting like I was in some weird sitcom.
“Okay! We’ll see you there!” she said. “Oh! Chloe wants to talk to you real quick!”
A few moments later, Chloe was on the line. “Hey.”
“Hey, Chloe.”
“So, about this party… will it have security?”
“I assume so,” I said. “There are going to be some big-name people there.”
“Hand me to John,” she said, and I did so.
John turned away from the desk and started talking to Chloe in hushed tones, so I looked at Ray, who was finishing a taco.
“So. Ray. Is that short for something?”
“Raymond, sir,” he said as soon as he finished his bite.
“What’s your middle name?”
“I have two. Henry James.”
“Ah,” I said. So, it looked like Ray broke my theory that all bodyguards or security guards were named John. I just happened to get a lot of them assigned to me. Maybe it was like buying a yellow car and seeing yellow cars everywhere. “Well, thanks for keeping an eye on me.”
He swallowed another bite of taco and said, “Just doing my job, sir.”
“Do you like it?”
“Like it? Yes, sir. It pays well, the perks are great, and you and Chloe have been the best bosses to work for in this career.”
“Career, huh? How long have you been doing this?”
“About seven years.”
“And I’m the nicest you’ve worked for?”
“You’re the first one I’ve been allowed to eat with,” he said.
On the one hand, I felt good about that… like I was some morally superior being because I bought my bodyguards tacos and let them watch me have sex. On the other hand, I felt a little bad that I hadn’t taken the chance to talk to Ray sooner. I’d been so busy building relationships with the ladies that I forgot Ray and the Johns were people, too. I’d been treating them more like NPCs.
“Well, I’m glad I can make a good impression, man. Do you have a wife and kids?”
He hesitated and then said, “Husband. We’re looking to adopt. We’ve been trying for a year.”
“Good for you, dude!” I said as I glanced at John. It looked like he was wrapping up the call. “Well, let me know if I can help with that. I know adoption can be expensive and tedious. If I can help speed up the process at all, just say the word.”
Ray nodded. “I’ll let you know, and I appreciate it.”
“No problem,” I said as John approached me with my phone and informed us that he needed to go ahead to the Silver Mirage and ensure everything was squared away with security. He left me with Ray, and we continued to chat for another twenty minutes while he finished his tacos. Eventually, we found Emily, Natashya, and the other John and filled them in on the details of the party. They were just as excited as Ashlee to attend an exclusive party with actual celebrities. Emily was especially enthusiastic to meet Charity, pulling out her phone to prove she’d followed the influencer for a while. After a round of squeals and hugs, we gambled a little more, and then we attended a show by a washed-up pop star from the early 2000s.
Natashya sat between us, and she continued being affectionate and flirty with both of us. I suspected they still needed to talk about our situation. I liked Natashya, so I enjoyed the attention, but I couldn’t help wondering how things would end up between us if she continued being intimate with my sister when I wasn’t around. Judging by how I caught them kissing and holding hands during the show, neither intended to end it. I guessed only time would tell.
Thursday 9:40 pm
The party was even more fun than I’d anticipated and a much bigger deal than Charity let on. I realized that the moment I saw Teela McGillis, Sharon Wright, and Steven Vann on the same rooftop as me. They were well-established B-List celebrities who I’d seen in several movies. Steven Vann was a sixty-five-year-old veteran actor who had probably been in more than half of the action movies I’d seen; I would have identified him and his signature five-o’clock shadow anywhere.
Carlos Miguel, the most significant recognizable celebrity present, had been in several hits over the last five years. Another up-and-comer was Karly Titus, who had just made her first big break in the movie business by leading in one of last year’s biggest sci-fi movies. The twenty-three-year-old New Zealand actress was probably on the minds of most male sci-fi fans, and I wasn’t an exception.
Emily fangirled over Carlos almost as much as I did over Steven and Karly and had to stop herself from overwhelming Charity with questions when I introduced them. Charity was wonderful to my sister, though; she was happy to introduce us to several of her influencer friends. In no time, Emily and Natashya were embroiled deep in a discussion about the influencer world with Charity and several of her friends. At the same time, I ended up doing shots with Steven and Teela as they shared stories about some of their most titular roles.
I had to rein myself in when Karly sat next to me as Teela was going into the differences between voice work for video games and animated projects. Steven introduced me to Karly, and then she introduced us to her new boyfriend, who turned out to be named Tyler. Not that I had a chance with someone like Karly Titus, but I found myself irrationally annoyed that another Tyler had cock blocked me, regardless of how small my chances had been.
Natashya, Emily, and some of Charity’s friends hit the dance floor at some point, and on my way to get a drink, I stopped by to dance a song or two with them. During the second song, I was sandwiched between two willowy blondes who almost looked like twins and were as tall as Emily. Once the song was over, one of them kissed me firmly before spinning me around so her twin could ambush me, cheered on by Natashya and my sister. After extracting myself from the ladies, I returned to the couches where Steven and his friends sat. I didn’t have time to be annoyed at the sight of Karly and Tyler making out on one side of the couch because sitting between them and the empty spot I was returning to was Charity.
She wore a simple black dress with thin straps and a relatively conservative neckline tonight. The skirt cut off just above the knees and revealed micro-mesh pantihose and black kitten heels. She had very dark eyeliner, matching lipstick, and her fingernails were freshly painted black. Pretty buzzed, I plopped down next to her and grinned as I sipped my beer.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey, yourself.” She grinned back and took a sip of her own drink.
“Where you been?”
“Just talking shop with friends and hyping your sister and girlfriend up. We’re gonna help Emily get started.” She sipped her drink and then sat it down. “I think she’s a natural.”
“Oh, hell yeah!” I said. “I love that idea! It’ll work out really well with her acting!”
“Yeah, that’s what Margot told her,” she said. “Your girlfriend is gorgeous. I told her she’d kill it, but she wasn’t interested.”
“Natashya?” I asked. “Oh, she’s not my girlfriend.”
“Really?” Charity said, and even in my buzzed state, I could tell that piqued her interest. “The way you guys were dancing, you could’ve fooled me.”
“Nah. We’re more like friends with benefits. I don’t think it’s going anywhere, though,” I said, glancing toward the dancing ladies.
“Hm,” she said and arched an eyebrow at me.
“What?” I asked, looking back at her.
“You want to find a place to fool around?”
It took me a couple of moments to put together what she was asking, thanks to the alcohol, but I eventually got there. “You want to find a place to fool around?”
“Yeah. You’re hot and rich. I’m hot and rich,” she said, glancing at Karly and Tyler. “Kind of like what they’re doing, but maybe with a few extra steps.”
I would have been a fool to turn down someone as ridiculously hot as Charming Charity. “Hell, yes.”
She looked around, and I did the same. Steven and Teela were talking to another friend who seemed upset about something, and no one else seemed to be paying attention to us except for Ray, but he didn’t count. When it was clear everyone else was busy, Charity stood up, grabbed my hand, and practically dragged me around the couch toward the DJ station. We weaved through several party-goers getting drinks or dancing, then behind the station toward a nearby stairwell access. I thought we would go inside, but she led me past the door to the shadowed side of the small shed-like access. I hesitated at the corner and saw Ray watching me near the station. He gave me a nod, and I returned it. I wasn’t sure whether it meant, ‘Go get her,’ ‘I’ll make sure you aren’t disturbed,’ or ‘It’s safe back there,’ but I took it as a positive sign.
Then Charity gave my arm a firm tug, and I disappeared around the corner and into the dark side of the access. As soon as we were out of sight, Charity grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me down until our lips found each other’s. She was an aggressive kisser; her tongue invaded my mouth immediately on contact, and knowing that Ashlee and the others would be here soon, I didn’t want to waste time playing coy. I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist and pulled her against me, enjoying feeling her C-cup breasts crushed against my chest.
We spent the next few minutes with her tongue in my mouth as her hands explored up and down my body before a wandering hand landed on the tent in my pants. I felt her palm press against my cock and curl around the length; she squeezed it as I continued to suck on her tongue.
She pulled away from me and peered around the corner as she unzipped my pants, her tiny fingers slipping inside the fly. They fished around through my underwear and finally managed to make direct contact with my member. The cool skin of her fingers felt wonderful as she wrapped them around my girth and pulled me through the hole she had made.
Charity glanced down at my exposed cock and looked back up at me with a grin and a nod of approval as she dropped to her knees. We hadn’t said a word to each other since she dragged me behind the access, and that didn’t change as she swallowed half my cock without ceremony. Her dark-stained lips formed a tight seal around the length of my cock as she immediately worked them back and forth. I let my head roll back and closed my eyes, concentrating on the sensation of her tongue as it teased the tip of my cock every time she pulled her head back. She was so good that I didn’t want to do anything to distract her, so I placed my hands on the smooth concrete wall behind me and pressed my fingers firmly against it as if I were trying to grab it as if it were a bed sheet.
A loud noise erupted… one I could feel just as easily as hear, and my eyes popped open in alarm. Immediately following the explosion, I saw a cascade of red and white colored lights sparkle through the air. They briefly illuminated the space Charity and I were hiding, and I looked down to enjoy the sight of my partner bathed in crimson light as she was trying to cram the remaining half of my cock in her mouth. She was staring up at me with one hand buried between her legs as her lips slid up and down my member.
Another explosion erupted, and an array of white lights lit up the night sky. Another was immediately followed by more blue and white. I smiled as I stared up at them, reveling in the beauty of the man-made lights sparking into existence briefly before fading away… all while getting my dick sucked by an internet model. Another set of fireworks illuminated the night sky, bathing us in green and white, and I felt a familiar tingle in my groin as Charity continued to try to coax an orgasm from me with her tongue molded to the underside of my shaft.
Seriously… what was my life right now?
Another crackle was followed by more lights and another series of slightly different loud pops. When I didn’t see the resulting blossoms in the air, I wondered what other fireworks were being deployed.
Then I heard screams.
More loud pops. More screams.
Those weren’t fireworks.
In the near dark, Charity and I locked eyes, and she extracted my cock from her mouth and stood up as I tucked it back in my pants. We both peered around the corner to see absolute chaos.
Party-goers were running in every direction. I saw Sharon and a man I didn’t know run and duck behind the DJ booth, and as I looked around, I saw Ray rushing toward me and Charity, gun drawn. He turned and fired at something we couldn’t see, followed by several more loud reports of what I realized was gunfire. Concrete rained down on my head as the corner of the access we were hiding behind exploded, and I slid back out of view, grabbing Charity and pulling her body in close to mine. I hugged her head against my chest as she screamed.
“Fuck!” I shouted, not daring to peer around the corner where a bullet carved out a chunk of concrete the size of a watermelon. “Ray!? What’s going on!?”
Ray appeared as he rounded the corner of the access, forcefully pushing Charity and me partway down the wall to make room for him as he pressed himself against the concrete.
“Don’t know, sir! Gunfire just started!” Then he touched his ear and said, “Barron located! Stairwell access! Northside! Condition blue! I’ve got three coming in hot! Archer, I need backup! Exposed on the East corner!”
I didn’t have a clue what any of that meant, but it sounded professional as fuck, and I wasn’t about to ask any other questions and distract Ray from doing his job. As the screaming and shots continued, more fireworks went off, making it hard to distinguish between those explosions and gunshots. Another geyser of concrete sprayed me as the raised lip of the building exploded. I felt Charity’s grip on me tighten as she let out another muffled scream, her face still buried in my chest.
“Archer! I need eyes!” Ray said. Then he cursed, glanced back at me, and peered around the wall’s edge. He jerked his head back and cursed again as more concrete flew. More screaming from the unseen masses was followed by more aggressive and commanding shouts. Over the next few moments, the screaming began to die down. I looked at Ray, pleading with my eyes for him to just tell me what the fuck was happening as if he knew much more than I did.
Then Ray suddenly grabbed the top of my head and shoved me down on the ground as he swung his gun over my head and let off two rounds. Charity screamed and tried to crawl in my skin, and I glanced over her head in the direction Ray was shooting just in time to see a man with an assault rifle collapse to the ground. Another man just behind him ducked behind the wall.
“Archer!” Ray said, and then I heard a loud pop behind me, followed by the feel of warm blood painting the side of my face. A wet thud hit the ground beside me, and Ray’s body collapsed at my feet. Most of his skull was missing.
Once again, Charity screamed and was openly crying in my arms as I looked around to see a pair of booted feet standing next to our crouched forms. My eyes tracked up to see who the feet belonged to when one of them left the ground and connected with the side of my head. I felt my skull bounce off the back of the concrete wall, and I immediately collapsed to the ground, my brain rattling in my head as my world went reeling.
The last thing I remembered was more shots and seeing Charity covered in blood and crying, clutching her side as she stared up into the night sky. The edges of my vision became fuzzy as a firework blossomed above us, bathing the influencer in white light. Her abdomen, slick with blood, reflected the illumination.
My vision faded, and someone said, “Team, fall back. We got him.”
Then darkness.
—————————————————————————————————–
Thanks again for reading another installment of the story. If you have any feedback, please feel free to email me. Or if you’re interested in reading any further installments, check out my Patreon at patreon.com/mindsketch. Chapters up to 36 are posted there already, and a LOT of extra dirty bonus chapters. Thanks for your time and cheers!
-MindSketch