Page 39 of Bad Habit
Six
Mac
Faith stared through the rental car’s window. I couldn’t see her face, but her smile was unmistakable in her posture as she took it all in and waved at the cars we passed. The joy she took in little things…. Faith continually surprised me.
On the short flight, we’d talked more about how she’d grown up, and I marveled at how strong she was, how positive about life, especially since she’d pretty much been held prisoner. Could you be kidnapped by your own mother?
We talked about my family, too—my brothers, Da, our life running wild on the streets of the city. She was endlessly curious, not afraid to ask questions. and rarely showed embarrassment when something came up that most twenty-two-year-olds from this planet would know. Faith was a sponge, soaking up everything, and most of it expanded her utter joyousness.
Her worldview remained so positive, which made me more positive, too—until I remembered her worldview would eventually land her in a world of hurt. Not everyone was good. I certainly wasn’t.
She had no idea how well qualified I was to teach her about sin, no idea she was traveling with a thief whose father was incarcerated. And she had this cute, almost cartoonish idea about testing the boundaries of sin, not knowing how far that could go if I let it, how fully I could expose her to the depths of depravity.
My dick stirred, and I shifted in my seat.
I was going to Hell. I’d knownthatsince I was seven and Sister Agatha tore into me for taking a quarter from the collection plate. I’d been born bad, into a bad family. I shouldn’t drag down Faith with me. What the fuck had I been thinking, taking her to Vegas?
I knewexactlywhat I’d been thinking. I’d been thinking about how badly I wanted to fuck her, to watch her respond as she discovered her sexuality, and claim pleasure for myself, without thought to the damage I’d be doing. Permanent damage. She couldn’t take this decision back.
As I pulled onto the Strip, I shook off those thoughts, concentrating instead of all the ways I planned to spoil her. A saver by nature, in Vegas I usually stayed in cheap, off-Strip holes, but spoiling Faith was a luxury well worth it.
I had a big payday coming, and I’d cashed in on a few deals I’d been sitting on and had pulled in a few favors to get a hotel suite gratis. I planned to make this a trip Faith would never forget. This weekend could be her one chance at sin, at decadence, at treating herself to nice things, and I’d make sure she had it all, saw it all, did it all. Anything she wanted. Things she might not yet know that she wanted.
* * *
Faith
“Look at all the lights!” The seatbelt strained to contain my excitement, preventing me from hitting the roof of the fancy car Mac had picked up at the airport.
“Just wait until you see it after dark.”
I turned toward him and found a genuine grin on his face, not mocking at all, and that’s what I loved about Mac. Because I didn’t know things, most people treated me like I was simple, but I wasn’t. I lacked knowledge, experience, but that only gave me more opportunities to learn. Mac got that. He got me.
There wasn’t another person in the world I’d trust to conduct my tour of sin. On the surface, Mac and I were so different, but we were also alike in more ways than I ever could have imagined. Entering this new strange city of lights, I felt safe.
Is this how love feels?The thought stirred anxiety in my belly. How did one know if they were falling in love? This trip was my only chance, perhaps ever, to consider that question.
“This place is amazing,” I said to quash the question. “Thank you for bringing me.”
“My pleasure,” he said. “Always up for some sinning.”
My cheeks flushed. “Which of the seven deadly sins will we start with?”
“Which one would you like to tackle first?” He shifted on his seat, like he was physically uncomfortable.
I sucked in a sharp breath. Was it possible he was aroused? Thinking about Mac aroused me. Did I do the male equivalent to him?
That idea made my panties damp, and I made little circles with my hips, shocked at how good it felt as I pressed forward into the seat.
“Let’s see.” I counted on my fingers. “There’s pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth. Which do you most recommend?”
“I’malwaysup for lust.” His voice was rough.
The tone scared me, but I liked it, too. “You’re the expert.” I squeezed my trembling legs together. I wanted to try sex—that had been the driving force behind this plan—but now that the moment was drawing near, I had nerves.Nerves before sex were normal, right?
“Where are we?” I gaped out the window. “This looks like Europe!”
“This is our hotel.” He turned into the drive. “The Venetian. We can commit all the sins on your list without even leaving the building.” He pulled to a stop in front of a long set of doors. “Then again, that’s probably true of a dozen Las Vegas hotels—casinos, shopping, spas, shows, restaurants, without even going outside.”
