Page 43 of Angels & Whiskey
After Autumn had leftthe coffee shop, I headed back to Club 24 and worked out with Jackson. I needed to run off some of my sexual frustration. When I’d stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear, I wanted to taste her skin. She smelled like heaven—in more ways than one. But what really got me was the feel of her soft skin, even if it was only her wrist underneath her oversized sweatshirt. Sure I feel the skin of soft women a few times a week, but there was something about the touch of Autumn.
After running for five miles, I stepped off and joined Jackson in the weights section.
“Maybe you should stop going to Starbucks,” Jackson said while doing a bicep curl.
“P.J., when was the last time I’ve ever been this interested in a woman?”
“But she’s married.”
“To an asshole who hits her.”
He shook his head. “You don’t know that.”
“I’m pretty certain. He even has spies following her.”
His questioning eyes drifted to me as he set the dumbbell back on the rack. “Then how do you plan to even talk to her? You’ll need to do that before you can convince her to leave her husband for you.”
I thought for a moment, doing a few curls. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. How can I be in a relationship with our profession?”
He chuckled. “Well, that’s what you need to think about before you go running off, chasing this chick all over town.”
I moved over to the lat bar, doing a few pulls. “I think about her all the time. I dream about her. Last night I dreamt about her and Alyssa—together.”
“Sexually?”
“Almost.” I smiled.
“Huh,” he huffed, rubbing his chin. “I’m not an expert on dreams, but maybe it’s your subconscious telling you that it’s okay to let Alyssa go?”
I didn’t respond. The thought was gut-wrenching, even if she was never coming back.
“Before you do anything stupid—ormorestupid for that matter, you need to seriously consider the consequences if you pursue Autumn. She’s married and you date women for a living.”
“I know,” I muttered. “If anything, I want to help her leave this guy. If she can’t get past what I do for a living, then it’s not meant to be. But at least she won’t be in an abusive relationship anymore.”
“You don’t even know if that’s the case.”
“I know,” I confirmed. “Trust me, I know.”
That night, I did an experiment and fell asleep without drinking my daily dose of whiskey. I’d read once that, “Most commonly, dreams are a reflection of the minds natural subconscious process of organizing and resolving the information of the day.” I still thought about Alyssa often throughout the day, but it felt as if my heart was finally trying to heal.
Opening my back office on the computer, I read my date information. I was to meet my client at the blackjack table at The Palazzo where she’d give me a key to her room. Her name was Jennifer. She had dark brown hair and light brown eyes, and she’d be wearing a white tank top with studs along the straps.
I dressed casually in jeans and a black T-shirt, knowing this was just for a fuck. Once I arrived at the hotel/casino, I walked to the card tables in search of Jennifer. Her back was to me as I stepped closer, but I knew it was her from the way her white tank top hugged her body.
The closer I got, the more I could hear her laughing with the men at the table. I stepped up behind her, noticing she had a blackjack and was waiting for the other hands to be dealt. I placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned, knocking the breath from my lungs.
“Autumn?”
“Hey, Gabe. Here’s the room key. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”
I stood there, not speaking and theoretically confused. She knew? Autumn knew what I did for a living? How? When? I should have asked her, but my words failed me. I stared at her as she placed a bet and waited for her new cards. My gaze drifted to her arms where I didn’t see any bruises.
“Seriously, I’ll be up in a few minutes.” She ran her hand down my bare arm and I took a deep breath, loving the feel of her skin on my skin.
I nodded and glanced at the room key. I noted the room number and walked to the elevators, not saying anything further to Autumn as she continued to win. My head was spinning as I rode the elevator up to the forty-seventh floor. After finding the room, I slipped the key in and walked inside. The room was filled with candles that were lit and placed sporadically around the large space. Rose petals were scattered over the bed and onto the floor and the room smelled like vanilla.
The view … Fuck, the view was perfect—perfect for my first time with Autumn. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip lit up the entire street, filling the room with a mixture of colors.
