Vegas Knights (14 page)

"You're shitting me. Rick
Knight
? And you're Cinderella? Priceless!" Diners at neighboring tables cast annoyed glances at the pair as peals of laughter rang out through the crowded room.

After they'd caught their breath, Beth continued her thought. "So does this Rick guy treat you right, Kell?"

"Omigod, yes! He's so...just...amazing!"

"Example, please."

When Kelly relayed that he'd paid her impound fees and rent, Beth looked impressed. "Okay, but that's just money. How is he in bed? Does he make love or does he fuck?"

Kelly giggled at the question. "The first time was pretty animal, I'll give you that, but since then, it's definitely making love. He even calls it that!"

Surprise flashed across Beth's face. "Wow. So you guys must be doing it like bunnies, eh?"

Kelly's smile faltered. "We
did
. But since we got to Vegas, he's been so busy that I haven't seen much of him." She pushed a piece of fish around her plate, her appetite gone.

"Ouch, that sucks. But he probably sends you flowers or notes or at least texts you during the day, right?" Beth waved the waiter over for the check.

Kelly looked down at her hands. She didn't want to admit that she'd been a little hurt this morning at not finding a note from Rick. It seemed so petty, especially since he already had so much stress, but how hard would it be just to send a quick text?

"He's really busy, I guess." She couldn't quite meet Beth's eyes. "He warned me he'd be gone a lot, so it's no big deal. He'll make up for it once he gets the papers signed."

"What papers?"

"I don't know, some contract he thought was a done deal but there was a delay. And I know he would much rather be with me than in a room full of lawyers all day."

Beth nodded as she signed the receipt the waiter brought over. "Good, that's good. Sounds like a nice guy. But how hard is it to just shoot you a text? Seems like the least he could do."

Kelly wondered if Beth could read her thoughts. Or maybe it was just that any woman would want her man to do the same thing. Either way, she was having a hard time hiding her disappointment.

As they walked out of the restaurant, Beth wrapped her arm around Kelly's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Don't worry about it, Cinderella. I'm sure he's still your Rick Knight-in-shining-armor. I'll call you tomorrow."

Kelly was happy to work out her thoughts on the short walk back to the gallery. Any frustration she was having was all on her. Rick had been clear from the start that he'd be completely AWOL for a few days until he wrapped up his business.
 

I just miss him is all
, she thought as she stepped into the cool studio. And that was all the inspiration she needed to start on her third painting in the series:
Desert Knights
.

~ * ~ * ~

Greta stayed late at the gallery that night, doing paperwork, and she invited Kelly to paint as long as she liked. Not having anything to do besides ramble around the enormous and sterile penthouse, she elected to continue working.
 

The cool tones she used in this third piece echoed the cooling of her and Rick's relationship. She loved how it turned out but the feelings it evoked brought tears to her eyes. She whisked them away with the back of her hand and moved the completed work to the back wall to dry.

"Done already? My dear, you are one of a kind."

"Not really. I just got used to painting fast for art festivals and farmers markets back home, and the habits die hard."

"Mmm hmmm." That seemed to be one of Greta's favorite responses.

"How would you feel about a short break from your series?" she asked Kelly.

Casting a sidelong glance at the newest work, the one that pulled at her heart in ways she didn't care for, Kelly thought a change of pace would be nice.

"I have a new model coming in tomorrow for my newer clients..." Kelly loved how Greta called her students 'clients'. "I thought you might use it as a palette cleanser, if you'll pardon the pun."

"Sounds great. What time?"
 

"The session starts at 10 and runs all day, so you'll want to get set up early."

She tilted her head to accept Kelly's air kiss as she continued entering numbers in her accounting program. "See you tomorrow, Cinderella."
 

~ * ~ * ~

Kelly was startled awake by Rick kissing her forehead. "You waited up?" Purple smudges under his eyes and his ashen complexion were evidence of his exhaustion.

Stretching her full body the length of the couch, Kelly yawned. "Not very well, apparently. What time is it?"

"Two. We should get you to bed."

"Mmm, that sounds good, loverboy." Her arms slithered up around his neck and pulled him in for a sultry kiss. He sighed against her lips.

He slipped his hands under her and lifted her easily, carrying her to the bedroom. She kept her arms entwined around his neck as she nibbled along his neck to an earlobe, breathing in his musky scent. A growl rose up through his body.

Rick laid her gently on the bed, then slowly stripped for her. The snick of each button on his oxford sent little spikes of desire to Kelly's core. The only time they lost eye contact was when he pulled his t-shirt over his head. All the while his arousal was evident at the front of his tailored suit pants.
 

Kelly could no longer wait. She grabbed the waistband and pulled him to her, tearing away the belt, and nearly ripping the button from the pants at her eagerness to reach what lay beneath. It seemed as if weeks had passed since she seen him, touched him. The head popped out before she even could pull the zipper down, and she sucked him into her mouth immediately.

"Kelly," he moaned as he clutched at her hair.
 

Alternating between licking and sucking, she slowly — and very carefully — eased the zipper down until he was was fully released. She took him in her mouth, her lips and tongue never leaving his cock. She needed to show him how she felt, how much she cared for him, how much she wanted to be with him. Taking his girth into her mouth was telling him how much she'd taken him into her heart.

Rick started moaning her name and she moaned in return, the vibrations in her throat amplified against the head. Her hands were always moving, from cupping his sack to sliding up the length her mouth couldn't reach. She consumed him, she couldn't get enough.
 

She was dimly aware of a shout and a shudder as she greedily sucked at him. It wasn't until he held her head still that she realized he'd given her all he could.
 

She helped him finish undressing and crawled under the covers with him. He kissed the top of her head and wrapped her in his arms. She nestled into him, kissing his chest and shoulder, patiently waiting for him to be ready again. Emotion overwhelmed her.
God, I love you
, she thought. She gasped and clamped a hand to her mouth. Shit, she'd said it out loud!

His silence spoke volumes. Backpedaling, Kelly said, "I mean, I've missed making love. I know it's still early in our relationship, I just was, well, you know."

Still, he didn't speak.
Oh lord, what have I done?
Kelly craned her neck to look into Rick's face. He was dead asleep.
 

"Are you asleep?!" Her voice was loud enough to rouse the whole building, but he merely grunted and rolled over.
 

Kelly sat up, looking at him in shock. That was
it?
It had been two days since their last lovemaking session, and now she was left hanging.
How selfish could he be?

A thought struck her. What if he'd taken shit at work for the gossip column and he just wasn't that attracted to her anymore? Cold despair clenched at her heart, her chest tightened. No, she tried to tell herself, he was just tired. It was two in the morning, after all.
 

But...what if? It was all too possible that Rick got back to the land of thin, svelte women and decided a big girl like her didn't reflect well on him. He was used to being seen with stick-thin model types, and it wasn't lost on her that this was the first sexual activity they'd had since the photo in the paper had come out.
 

He was embarrassed by her.

Her breath hitched in her chest. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Kelly slipped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. Sobs wracked her body as she cried into a towel. Part of her screamed that she was being an idiot, that Rick was crazy about her. He'd told her he wanted more out of their relationship, hadn't he?
But that was before the news story
, she screamed right back. Oh, sure, he probably liked her, was maybe even still attracted to her, but every part of her knew that she wasn't the type of woman a CEO of a big company wanted on his arm.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!
She should have known better, she should have kept that wall up inside her heart. But she just had to fall for this handsome biker who was so far out of her league that his league was a speck in the night sky from where she stood.
 

It all made sense now. All the time he spent at the office, not calling or texting her, not wanting to make love. The only thing to do now was to patch up her shattered ego and pretend nothing was wrong.
 

And who knows, maybe that little voice inside her was right. Maybe he really
was
just tired. It was possible. But until she found out for sure, she would put the wall back up, and stop herself from falling even more in love with him.
 

As if that was possible.

Kelly was coming to loathe the big wide bed. It had felt luxurious, even sinful, at first. But every time she woke up in it, she was alone. Or lonely.
 

A glance at the clock showed her she only had a few minutes to freshen up before she had to rush down to the Pinyon to prep for the day's diversion: painting a model.
 

The idea excited her. She hadn't worked with a live model since art school. There was some something about it that was intimidating and thrilling at the same time. Knowing they were there for her, sitting in the same pose for hours at a time just so she could draw them, made her feel powerful. She wasn't proud of it, but there it was, no denying it. It was almost a form of non-sexual bondage.

Several people she'd never met before were already set up when she arrived. All had chosen the stations farthest from the small stage that had been set up.
Newbies
, she thought as she set up at the one nearest the stage. It was like in high school when you'd choose the seat farthest back in hopes the teacher wouldn't call on you. No one was going to call on you in this class but you did need to have a clear view of the model.
 

"Why am I not surprised you took this spot?" Greta was as radiant as ever in a flowing raspberry number.
 

"Your new clients seem shy," Kelly noted with a glance over her shoulder.

Greta smiled patiently. "They'll get there. There are a few real gems in this bunch. You being the brightest."

Kelly was overcome with gratitude and affection for Greta. She'd taken her in and lifted her up emotionally, and she'd be forever grateful. She threw her arms around the older woman and whispered, "Thank you, Abuela."

Greta seemed surprised at first but then took Kelly into her warm embrace, patting her gently on the back. "Everything okay, dear?"

Kelly pulled back and wiped at her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just..."

Her words were cut off by the door sliding open with a bang. Expecting to see another artist, Kelly glanced back at the newcomer and did a double take.
No, it can't be
. She turned a questioning look at Greta, who was already gliding away from her.
 

Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the doorway again. "Shit." Spinning back to face forward, her heart started racing and her skin reddened from embarrassment. She fought the overwhelming urge to flee, knowing to do so would only cause her more humiliation because she just
had
to pick a spot right up front.

"Artists, I'd like to introduce our model for the next two days." Greta's voice barely penetrated the fog in Kelly's brain.
Did she just say two days?

"Everyone, this is Brandon. Brandon, this is everyone." Voices behind her greeted Brandon warmly while she took great interest in arranging her pencils.

Kelly was horrified when she heard Greta introducing Brandon individually to the artists behind her. She steeled herself. She'd just have to suck it up and pretend she wasn't mortified. "And finally, I'd like to you meet my star artist. Brandon, this is Kelly Saunders."

Hoping her face wasn't the color of a boiled lobster, she meekly met Brandon's gaze. "Nice to meet you."

A familiar wicked smile played at the corners of his mouth, the same as it did at the bar a couple nights earlier when she shamelessly flirted with him. His gaze bore into her, through her, churning her insides into a miasma of acid and adrenaline. Maintaining eye contact was impossible. Instead she found something fascinating to focus on between her feet.

He was hovering just a little too close for comfort but she wasn't entirely sure she wanted him to move farther away. He wore a light, spicy cologne that smelled so good it made her toenails ache. Brandon took one of Kelly's hands and lifted it to his lips, barely grazing it but leaving a burning trail behind. Her nipples leaped to attention at the brief touch of his lips on her skin.
 

"The pleasure is all mine." His husky voice sent little ripples of warmth from her breasts much farther south, the effect pooling between her legs.

Kelly dragged her hand from his and cleared her throat. Not trusting her voice, she looked into his rich brown eyes and gave him a curt nod. His gaze held her for moment longer before Greta pulled him toward one of the studio's smaller rooms. Brandon gave her one last lingering look and a small smirk.

"What the hell was that?" Kelly jumped at Syndee's words, knocking a tray of sketching pencils to the floor.