Blindfolded Innocence (14 page)

I had never been in first class before and felt ridiculously giddy about the experience.
 
I took both the pillow and blanket the stewardess offered, then stretched out in my roomy seat, a glass of champagne in hand.
 
Brad had taken the aisle seat, and his enormous frame made the spacious seat look tiny.
 
I grabbed a Lisa Gardner thriller out of my bag and prepared for the flight.
 
We had a short commuter flight, and then a long trek over to Vegas.
 

CHAPTER
15

Landing in Vegas was an experience in itself.
 
Not the landing, but the walk through the airport.
 
We had both packed for just carry-on, so we headed straight for the exit once we left the plane.
 
The airport was crowded with cleavage, diamonds, and tourists, its walls covered with digital screens advertising different shows, casinos, and restaurants.
 
We finally arrived at the exit and walked through, hitting the taxi and limo lines.
 
It was chaos, with a long line for the taxis and all of the drivers shouting and waving.
 
Brad spotted our driver first, an older black man in a tuxedo, with a printed sign reading "De Luca".
 
He went over and shook his hand.
 
"Hey Leonard," he said, pumping his hand enthusiastically.
 

"Hey Mr. De Luca," the driver said, in a thick New York accent.
 
"How ya been doing?"

"Great, Leonard, just great.
 
This is Julia," Brad said - holding out his arm and drawing me towards them.
 
I shook Leonard's hand and smiled.
 
Leonard was a large man, who looked like he might have been a bouncer in his younger days.
 
He was missing a tooth but still managed to look dignified.
 

"Hi Julia.
 
It's a pleasure to meet you.
 
That bag all you got?"

"Yes sir, but its a heavy one."

"Awww, it'll be no trouble to me.
 
Besides, the big guy can always help me out," he said, clapping Brad on the back.

"How's Jeanne?" Brad asked, following Leonard to a long white stretch limo.
 
Leonard limped a little when he walked, so it was a slow trip.
 
I lagged behind and watched them chat.

"She good man, real good.
 
She been playing with grandkids all day while schools out."

"I bet she enjoys that."

"She do - but I'm starting to want my house back!
 
Those kids watch too much cartoons, not enough baseball."
 
He chuckled good-naturedly as he swung our bags into the trunk.
 

Leonard held the door open and I ducked into the limo, sliding all the way over to the other side.
 
Brad crawled in after me and shut the door.
 
It was quiet inside the limo, and we waited for Leonard to make his way to the driver's seat.
 
"I take it you come often?" I said dryly.

He grinned at me and grabbed my knee, giving it a squeeze and leaving his hand there.
 
"I try to come up about every other month.
 
Clears my head, and sometimes my wallet."
 
Now that we had landed, his intensity had lightened, and he seemed playful.
 

"You typically come alone?" I hated asking, but I wanted to know.

"Depends on if I am seeing anyone, or what kind of trip I am in the mood for."

"And what kind of trip are you in the mood for now?"

He slid his hand up my bare leg until it reached my upper thigh.
 
"Haven't really figured that out yet," he said.
 
On impulse, I leaned over, grabbed the back of his head, and kissed him.

----

Our first kiss started out tentative.
 
It was not a planned event, and I wasn't sure how he would react.
 
He responded immediately, reaching a hand in between me and the seat, hooking it around my waist and pulling me tight to him.
 
He deepened the kiss and used his other hand to brush my hair away from my face, and then trailed his fingers down my neck and cupped my breast through my thin tee shirt.
 
His hands, on my breast and tight around my waist, were electrifying, and I gasped - feeling arousal take over my entire body.
 
Our tongues combined perfectly, teasing and tasting each other until we finally pulled apart, gasping.
 
I stared into his eyes, frozen.
 
What the hell had I gotten myself into?

He leaned back, sliding his hands in all areas they shouldn't be until they were back in his domain.
 
I scooted back in my seat also, nervously biting my fingers and trying to think of what to say.
 
God, did Leonard see that?
 
I glanced towards the front and saw that he had closed the privacy screen.
 
Thank God.

"Come here."

I looked up.
 
Brad was patting the seat next to him.
 
The space I just scooted out of.
   
I hesitantly slid back over, and he used his arm to spin me away from him, so I was facing the door.
 
"Move down", he said.
 
I slid my butt out until I was laying down, my head on his leg.
 

"I've got to make a call," he said.
 
"You relax.
 
We have a 30 minute drive ahead of us."
 
He began to run his fingers through my hair, and I did relax.
 
I tried to figure out what was going on between us, and what I would do once we were alone in the room, and what…
 
Instead, with his hand gently playing with my hair, and the hum of the car on the road, I drifted off to sleep.
 

I woke up 15 or 20 minutes later to Brad talking on the phone.
 

"I told you I would take care of it."

"No, for Christ's sake, don't get him involved."

"I can't handle it on this trip.
 
I'm not alone."

"Just a girl.
 
No one you know."

"She's not that type, too straight-laced."

I lay still, with my eyes closed.
 
His fingers were still running through my hair.
 
Has he been doing that the entire time?
 

"Look, I have to go.
 
We're almost to the casino.
 
I'll call you next time I'm in town.
 
Tell Jenny I said hi."

The limo swayed as we rounded a curve.
 
Brad gently shook my shoulder.
 
"Julia."

I pretended to sleep on.

"Julia."
 
Louder this time.

I stirred, and then opened my eyes.
 
He was looking down at me, bemused.
 
"Hi."

I stretched, as much as I could in the backseat of a limo.
 
Then I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes.
 

"Are we here?"

He chuckled.
 
"Yes, we are about to pull up.
 
You might want to check your makeup."

I blinked at him, and then reached into my bag and pulled out a compact.
 
Peering into it, I saw that my mascara had smudged, and I had a bit of dried drool running down the side of my mouth.
 
Great, Julia.
 
Really sexy.
 
I quickly grabbed a tissue off a built-in on the dash and wiped off the offending items.
 
I freshened up my makeup and was sliding the zippered bag back into my purse when the limo pulled up to the casino.

The Bellagio was gorgeous, a massive cream tower with a lake in front.
 
Brad gestured to the lake.
 
"Our room will have a view of the fountains.
 
I think you'll really enjoy them."
 
We pulled into a massive portico, with black-vested valets everywhere.
 
Leonard stopped at the curb and one of the attendants opened our limo doors.
 
The employee recognized Brad immediately, and tipped his hat to him.
 

"Mr. De Luca.
 
Welcome back, sir."

"Thank you.
 
Our bags are in the trunk."

"Certainly.
 
They will be waiting in your room."

"I appreciate it."
 
Brad pulled a thick wad from his pocket, and peeled off a $100 bill.
 
He handed it to the man, who pocketed it.

"Thank you, Mr. De Luca.
 
Let me know if I can help with anything else, sir."

Brad nodded at him, grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards the building.
 
Inside was a sea of activity.
 
Colors and sounds were everywhere.
 
The lobby ceiling was a mass of hand-blown glass flowers, in every color I could imagine.
 
There was a line of easily 100 people, waiting to check in.
 
The front desk was at least 700 feet long and had over 10 agents posted behind it.
 
I expected us to head towards the line, but Brad veered to the right and we entered a small, private lobby on the way to the casino floor.
 

Decadence seemed to be the theme the decorator picked for this space.
 
The walls were covered in gold-print wallpaper, with cream paneling covering the lower half.
 
There was a leather couch and chairs surrounding a low table with various desserts and finger food positioned on it.
 
A 70-inch flat screen showed ESPN, and a beverage stand occupied an antique table set along the right side wall.
 
Two attractive women in skirt suits stood along the wall, ready to spring into action if a guest needed help.
 
Two more attractive women were behind the desk, one of which was on the phone.
 
Brad indicated for me to sit on the couch, and he stepped up to the desk.
 
I helped myself to a bottle of water and a mini key lime pie.
 
I had just popped the bite-sized dessert into my mouth when Brad finished at the desk, and stood in front of me, a key packet in hand.
 

"Ready?"
 
I nodded my response, my mouth filled with deliciousness.
 
He led me into the madness of the casino.
 

I had never been to a casino before, but this one seemed very comparable to every movie I had ever seen.
 
The colors were brighter, the smell of smoke invaded my senses, but everything else seemed the same.
 
There were excited screams coming from somewhere, old ladies in fanny packs sitting at slot machines, and depressed-looking men fingering their dwindling chip stacks.
 
Brad looked longingly at the blackjack tables, but continued through the space until we reached a set of elevators.
 
He pressed the up button.