was me.” He tightens his arm around me and I can feel the strength of his muscles as he gives me a gentle squeeze.
“Yes.” I lift my chin up so I can peek up at him. He’s looking down at me, his eyes calm and clear. There’s no hint of a storm in them now.
“Well, I can assure you that nobody else in that room tonight would have guessed that just five days ago, you’d arrived in Vegas for the very first time…”
“A virgin from Parkville, Missouri?” I finish the thought for him and we both laugh.
“Correct.” He nods and then cranes his neck forward, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Tonight, everyone in that room saw a woman. Self-assured. Beautiful. Sexy. And in control of her sexuality. Tonight, Lilly, you were a fucking star.”
Chapter Eighteen
David
I wake up the next morning to the sound of a giant crash. What a fucking alarm clock. Sitting up in bed, I see Lilly is gone. No doubt she’s rummaging around in the kitchen. Normally I’d be annoyed by this rude awakening but with the memory of last night fresh in my mind, I don’t even care. I slip on a plush white robe and head downstairs.
“Good morning!” Lilly trills at me happily as I blearily make my way down the stairs to her. “I hope I didn’t wake you?”
“It’s fine.” She trots over to me and throws her arms around my neck, giving me a sweet kiss. She’s also just wearing a white robe but on her small frame, it looks oversized.
“I wanted to make coffee.”
“Why not just order some up? I’m not even sure I have coffee up here.”
“Sure, we can do that,” she says with a smile and a small shrug. “I guess I thought it would be nice to make it myself and bring you a cup in bed.”
“Well, how about we order up coffee, and then you can serve me in bed.” I give her a squeeze. “And we can order up some food while we’re at it.” I’m starving, I realize. I barely ate the day before, I’d been so caught up in preparations for the night’s poker game.
“Yeah, some French toast would be amazing.” Lilly’s face lights up. “With powdered sugar. And maybe strawberries… And raspberries… Or blueberries? Or both? I think a berry mix is always the best way to go, it balances the tanginess of the red berries with the muted blueberries.” She’s like a kid in her excitement, which grows as she talks, her voice getting faster and faster. I can’t help but laugh.
“Food really is your passion, huh? You should see your face light up when you talk about it. Like I said before, you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it. You want to call down? I’m just going to brush my teeth and shave.”
“Oh, don’t shave! I love the stubble.” She grins and runs her small hand across my cheek, scratching my chin gently with her fingertips. She’s no longer shy about touching me, I realize quickly. Not after last night.
“Okay, well I’ll brush my teeth at least. Can’t kiss you with this dragon breath.”
She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me firmly on the mouth. “Mm yeah, brush your teeth,” she giggles as she pulls back.
“Hey,” I grab her around the waist and pull her towards me, kissing her again for a minute. I feel the warmth of her body through the material of the robe.
“So what do you want?” She asks when I finally let her go.
“Just a coffee, thanks. I’ll grab some food on my way to work.”
“Oh, okay.” She nods but I sense the tiniest flicker of disappointment in her face.
Back upstairs, I brush my teeth. Looking at myself in the mirror, I run my hands across the stubble on my face. I reach for the razor but pause. One more day won’t hurt. Plus, I have Lilly’s face in my mind, specifically that disappointed look when I told her to just get me a coffee and leave it at that.
That’s when I decide to do something I haven’t done in over a decade. I grab my phone and punch in the first number on speed dial.
“Sir?” Terry’s voice greets me on the other end of the line.
“Terry. Everything under control down there?”
“Of course, sir. Nothing to worry about.”
“Good. I won’t be coming down today.”
“Are you not feeling well? Should I send up the doctor?”
I can’t help but laugh. “No, no, nothing like that.