Split the Aces Read online

  “I went to Las Vegas last week. Learned how to play blackjack.” She hoped that turning the conversation to gambling would distract her father from criticizing her.

  “Really? I haven’t been to Vegas in years. Not since you were little.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Did you like it?”

  Cori fleetingly thought of telling him about her trip, the parts she really liked, but doubted he wanted to know about Rae and her magic tongue. “Blackjack is kind of fun. I had a good teacher.” Cori mentally smacked herself. Why did she say that?

  “Good teacher?”

  “One of the dealers taught me the rules.” She kept her answer brief, hoping he would let the topic die. She glanced at the clock. A few more minutes and she’d be allowed to leave. She just had to bide her time without antagonizing him further. She glanced at her mother. Louisa sat tight-lipped, staring straight ahead.

  “Did you do anything else while you were there?” he asked.

  “I auditioned for a band.”

  “What?” her father barked, his laughter like machine-gun fire.

  Cori didn’t repeat herself. He’d heard her the first time and she already regretted saying it. No reason to give him further ammunition.

  “Corina, you can’t be serious?” He shook his head, the cruel smile fading. “And did you get the job?” His tone assured her that there was no possibility of that happening.

  “I haven’t heard back yet.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You can’t live in Las Vegas anyway.” He waved his hand dismissively.

  “Why not?” Cori tried to rein in her temper, hoping the question sounded curious rather than defiant.

  Her father’s eyes narrowed. “Because your family is here.”

  In the past, that answer would have been enough. But after seeing Rae and Norma, it meant very little, possibly nothing at all. Her parents weren’t interested in sharing a loving relationship with their children. Her father simply wanted her around in case he needed her. Large, happy families impressed potential clients, he believed.

  Cori bit back her answer. This was not the time to make a grand stand. There was no reason to even have the conversation. She’d heard from Rae once, via e-mail, and Kel hadn’t contacted her at all. Nothing in Vegas was calling her there, so why argue the point?

  “Yes, Papi.”

  Her father relaxed, settling back into his customary position, arms spread wide, left ankle resting on his right knee. “Good.” He looked pointedly at the clock. “It’s getting late. Your mother needs her rest.”

  Cori stood, relief washing through her. Parole had come earlier than expected. “I’m sorry to keep you.”

  She kissed her parents good-bye, let herself out the front door, and didn’t stop until she was safely inside her car. She wanted to punch the steering wheel, scream to heaven, curse her father for every thoughtless word he ever spoke. Instead, she started the car and drove away, dialing up her voice mail as she went. The caller ID showed a number she didn’t recognize with a Las Vegas area code. Maybe Rae had called while on a break at work.

  Kel’s voice greeted her. “Cori, sorry it took so long to get back to you. We discussed your audition and we all think that you’d make a good addition to our band. Call me so we can discuss the details.”

  Cori’s hands shook as she pulled to the side of the road. Now she understood why talking on cell phones while driving was illegal in the state of Washington. She’d thought the law irrelevant, the product of legislators trying to avoid real issues like the rising cost of health care, but the message from Kel had her thoroughly distracted. Driving was the last thing on her mind.

  Should she call her back? What would she say? Did she want to move? She was no longer dealing in abstracts. The offer was real. Las Vegas didn’t have to be just a fond memory. Cori thought about her life in Seattle. She had her work, which had long since lost its luster, a family that she never saw, and a handful of friends. The only true constant in her life was the rain, and she’d gladly surrender that relationship.

  What did Vegas have to offer? A career she’d dreamt about since she was a child. And Rae. Rae with her sun-bleached bangs dragging over Cori’s skin as she kissed her way down her body. Rae with the devil-glint in her eyes and the too sexy I know you want it smile. Rae with her soft lips and the security Cori found only in her arms.

  Rae.

  Cori dialed Kel’s number and prayed for voice mail. She didn’t get her wish. She thanked Kel for calling, careful to say how flattered she was, how she was seriously considering the offer.

  “What are you saying, Cori? You going to rock with us or what?” Kel’s voice clearly said she couldn’t imagine any answer other than Yes!

  “I’m saying this is a big decision, relocating my life. Can I have a couple of days to think it over?”

  “Why did you audition if you weren’t sure?” Kel moved to full-on annoyed.

  “I didn’t think I had a chance.” Cori left out the part about being more than a little drunk. “It was a ‘what the hell, why not try?’ moment. I didn’t think anything would come of it.”

  “I can see that.” Kel’s voice softened. “You have until Saturday.”

  Cori thanked her again and ended the call. A decision like this needed to be made with a clear head. Would she even be considering it if Rae wasn’t a potential part of the package? Cori stared at her cell phone. She wanted to call Rae and discuss what the move would mean to their relationship.

  Did they even have a relationship?

  No, they didn’t. She needed to decide what she wanted without Rae. She dropped the cell phone in the passenger seat and resumed her journey home. Maybe after a long, hot bath, the answer would come to her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rae pushed her hair out of her eyes and took a long drag of her dwindling Camel. The dull throb of Nirvana pushed through the window, reminding her of the party in progress around her. She flicked her cigarette into the gutter, tempted to call it an early night and just head home. Kel would understand.

  “What are you doing out here?” Kel held out a fresh longneck Bud. “The party’s inside.”

  Rae took the drink. Early night or not, it would be a shame to let a cold beer go to waste. “I’m just catching some air.”

  Kel nodded and scuffed her worn motorcycle boots against the curb. “We can go if you want.”

  Rae shook her head. She tapped out two cigarettes, lit them, and passed one to Kel. She never left a party early. And never alone. Kel, hot little boi that she was, wasn’t the type of woman Rae had a reputation for seducing. They both looked for other playmates. Partying with Kel this early on a Friday night was unheard of. The band typically didn’t finish work until four in the morning, sometimes later.

  “How long until you’re back at work?” Rae asked.

  “We still have to replace Nikki.”

  “Auditions were last week. Why the delay?”

  “We made an offer.”

  Rae’s heart thudded in her chest and she forced herself to speak slowly. “Is it anybody I know?”

  “Yeah, your friend Cori, the one from Seattle.”

  Rae smiled. “Cori?” Hell, even her voice was smiling. The more she tried to control it, the more she smiled.

  “I take it that’s a good thing.”

  Rae nodded. “When does she start?”

  “Don’t know.” Kel shrugged. “She asked for a few days to decide.”

  Rae’s heart fell. She’d heard from Cori yesterday with no mention of Kel’s offer. Now she knew why. Cori wasn’t going to take it. “When will you know for sure?”

  “I’ll call her some time next week.”

  Rae crushed her half-smoked Camel under her heel. “Let’s go in.”

  “Right on.” Kel threw her arm around Rae’s shoulder. “Sharon Gambini is here with her new girlfriend. She’s looking for you.”

  Rae raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  Sharon Gambini was a true Vegas p
arty girl. She burned through girlfriends in less time than it took Rae to smoke a carton. The revolving door to her heart was due in large part to the revolving door to her bedroom. Sharon loved the security of having a girlfriend, but wasn’t willing to give up her roving affections. There was only one reason she looked for people at parties and it wasn’t to trade recipes.

  “Really.” Kel led her through the front door. “And you should let her put a smile back on your face.”

  Rae flipped her hair back and tried for a wicked, devious grin. “Maybe I’ll put a smile on hers.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Kel nodded toward a rapidly approaching Sharon. “Sharon, I found Rae for you.”

  Sharon ran her hand down Rae’s arm. “It’s good to see you,” she purred, sex dripping from the words. “Have you met Dar?” She gestured to her companion, a woman with glaring eyes and a possessive arm around Sharon’s waist.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Rae offered a hand. Sharon traced the lines of the grass-skirt-wearing hula girl on Rae’s shirt as she shook hands with Dar. “Are you new to Vegas?”

  “Been here a few weeks.” Dar flexed her jaw, grinding her teeth as she watched Sharon.

  Rae considered her options. Sharon was a sure thing, fun in bed with no complicated morning after. Dar, however, looked like she wanted to kick her ass. Not a very appealing prospect. Still, the couple offered a needed distraction from her thoughts of Cori. Time to divide and conquer.

  “Sharon, do you need a fresh drink?”

  Dar glared.

  Sharon smiled. “Yes, Rae, I do.”

  She placed extra emphasis on each word, making her sound like a damsel in distress to Rae’s knight on a horse. Rae never realized how supremely annoying her voice was until tonight.

  “Wait here.” Rae backed her up against a wall and kissed her low on the neck. “Dar and I will be right back.” She grabbed Dar’s arm. “Come on, Dar.”

  “What?” Dar looked at Sharon. “We both don’t need to go.”

  They were in the kitchen before Dar got the protest out completely. Rae plucked a wine cooler from a bucket of ice and handed it to her. “You like Sharon?”

  “Yeah.” Dar nodded slowly.

  “Then stop acting like a jealous gorilla. The only way she’ll keep you is if you take her as is.” It was unsolicited advice and dangerous to boot. Rae waited to see how it would be received.

  “What do you mean?” Dar chewed her fingernail.

  “You’re going to drive her away. She needs room to play.”

  Dar flared. “But she wants to play with you.”

  “No.” Rae again debated calling it an early night. This sure thing was proving to be a lot of work. “She wants to play with us.”

  Realization spread over Dar’s face. “Really? And that’s okay with you?”

  Dar, with her shaved head, low-riding board shorts, and too-big T-shirt, wasn’t the type that Rae would generally pursue. But for every hard edge on Dar, Sharon had two soft curves to make up for it. Rae was ready to spend a few hours exploring the differences. Most importantly, neither of them was short, dark, and fiery.

  “Yeah, but I think a better question would be is it okay with you? She’s your girlfriend.”

  Dar nodded and headed to the next room like a woman with a mission. She turned once to make sure Rae followed.

  Sharon winked at Rae as she kissed Dar to say thank you for the wine cooler. “Did you two work out your differences?” she asked.

  In answer, Rae held Sharon’s gaze and kissed Dar. She lingered a moment, drawn in by the taste of good ale and spearmint.

  “I guess you did.”

  Rae traded Dar’s beer and gum for the sugary sweet residue of wine cooler on Sharon’s tongue.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” Sharon said.

  Rae followed them up the stairs, aware of the empty blank in her groin where fire should have been sparking. She held out hope that this encounter would wake up her slumbering libido. So far nothing had shaken her out of the Cori-induced funk she was stranded in.

  The first room they tried was occupied, as was the second. Dar, her own shirt off and tucked in her back pocket, had worked her way through the buttons on Sharon’s shirt and was trying to remove her panties without taking off her skirt. The look on her face said they’d crossed the point of no return as she tried the next door. Thankfully the room was empty or Rae was sure they would have ended up on the floor in the hall.

  Dar led them into the dimly lit space, Rae by the hand, Sharon by the lips. Rae pulled Sharon between them and kissed the back of her neck where the collar had fallen away. Her shirt hung loose, open in the front, and Rae wanted to trace the lace edge of her bra with her tongue. She squeezed Sharon’s breasts, pinching the nipples between her fingers as she bit down hard on her shoulder. Dar groaned, her eyes glazed with desire. She ground her pelvis against Sharon, driving her closer to Rae.

  Rae slid her hands lower, watching to make sure Dar was still into sharing. A flare-up of jealousy at this point could prove painful for everyone involved. They were too connected with teeth and flesh not to be cautious.

  “Watch,” she said to Dar as she inched Sharon’s skirt up until it was bunched around her waist.

  With Sharon’s panties already off, Rae had unfettered access to her perfect shaved pussy. She urged Sharon to widen her stance, spreading herself open, then smoothed her hands along the soft skin on the inside of her thighs. Sharon tilted her head back, resting it on Rae’s shoulder, eyes closed. She gripped Rae’s hands, coaxing her closer to her center.

  “You always know what I like,” she breathed.

  Rae pulled Sharon’s lips apart, her thumb beating a steady pattern on her clit. She kept her eyes on Dar. “On your knees.”

  “Yesss,” Sharon hissed as Dar hit the floor.

  Rae braced herself against the door and shifted her position lower. She knew from experience that Sharon came hard and loud. She didn’t want to drop her.

  The wet, hot slick of Dar’s tongue pushed against Rae’s fingers, tugging a small flicker of interest from her. She should have been blazing, but mostly she wanted Sharon to hurry. She surrendered her hold to Dar’s mouth and brought one hand up to Sharon’s breast. She pulled and tweaked the nipple, twisting it through the lace. The other hand she placed on the top of Dar’s head. The stubble prick of her hair pebbled against Rae’s palm as she held the younger woman tight to Sharon.

  Sharon rocked against Dar’s mouth and her body drew tight. Rae exhaled in her ear, the hot breath bringing bumps to the surrounding skin. “You are so fucking hot, spread out with Dar’s tongue inside you, fucking you.” The words sounded hollow to Rae, but Sharon quaked in her arms. “That’s it. Let it go.” Rae kept talking. “I’ve got you. Dar’s on her knees, licking your hard clit, begging you to come in her mouth.”

  Rae held Sharon’s earlobe between her teeth, biting down slightly between the words. Sharon rocked back, her body rigid. Just a little more and she’d be over the edge and Rae could go home.

  Dar worked her right hand into her own shorts. Her low, humming moans filled the room.

  Rae urged, “Do you hear her? She’s touching herself, fucking herself as she sucks you off. Come for her, Sharon. Come for her now.”

  Sharon screamed, her body vibrating as she doubled over, pulling Rae with her. A moment later, Dar growled and fell limp to the floor, her hand motionless in her shorts. Rae held Sharon for a moment longer then straightened. She needed out of the room, out of the house, out of her skin. A shower wouldn’t wash this away. She needed Cori.

  Sharon’s voice, confused and concerned, followed Rae down the stairs. Halfway to her car she got her cell phone out and dialed Cori’s number. Five rings and then voice mail. Where was she? It was Friday night. Was she out with friends? Did she have a date? Was she doing the same thing Rae just did?

  Rae’s stomach rolled. “Cori, it’s Rae. Call me.” She forced herself to breathe. “I just…I just need to
hear your voice. Please. Call me.”

  *

  Cori was ready to let Las Vegas go. It would be foolhardy, a child’s dream, to rearrange her life, drop everything, and run off to a city fueled by neon sin. She should call Kel and tell her that although she was flattered, she wouldn’t be able to join the band. She sat, fingers midair over the keys, trying to convince her heart that she needed to heed the logic of her head. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to dial.

  The answer had come to her earlier that night, rising in clarity as she neared the bottom of a bottle of self-pity. The hours passed, along with the alcohol from her system, and the desperation of Rae’s phone message sank in. Cori needed to hear her voice, too. How could she deny the plea?

  Still not quite sober, she dialed.

  “Hello.” Rae’s voice was gravel rough. A product of sleep? Or cigarettes? “Cori?”

  “Hi, Rae.”

  Since Cori’s departure, they’d limited their communica-tions to e-mail, a few stilted and polite lines filled with the happenings of the day. Now the burning ache to be with Rae rose with each breath coming through the phone line.

  “I miss you,” Rae said.

  Cori wondered at the immediate confession. Out of character and too revealing. What did it mean? “I miss you, too.”

  “Where were you tonight? When I called.” Rae hesitated. “I didn’t disturb you, did I?”

  “I was here.”

  “Oh.”

  Silence, like a brick-and-mortar wall loomed between them.

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have called,” Rae said.

  “Why did you?”

  “I…like I said, I miss you.”

  “What made you think of me?” Did she haunt Rae’s thoughts the way Rae haunted hers?

  “I was at a party.”

  Cori thought of that party again. “What did you do at the party?”

  The question was out before she realized it. Why did she care? She wasn’t there to police Rae’s orgasms and claim them for her own. But still she wanted them, each and every one. If Rae’s breath hitched, if her heart pounded, if her clit exploded, Cori wanted to own every last beat.