Split the Aces Page 5
Tami watched them with exaggerated interest. “Oh, my.”
One of the women—tall, blond, and looking for trouble—turned at the sound of Tami’s voice. Her gaze skimmed over Tami and landed on Rae with obvious intent. She was exactly Rae’s type, even if her hair color was a little too brassy to be natural.
Tami nudged Rae in the ribs. “How’d you like to get her alone?”
Rae had made the same type of crass comment a hundred times in the past, but Tami’s flippancy stabbed at her. Was that all there was to her in the minds of others—a woman who had quick fucks with strangers? She certainly hadn’t given her friends and coworkers a reason to expect anything more from her. She’d never stopped to think about the women she’d been with. In her mind, they didn’t exist beyond the moment. Their motivations, desires, and interests meant nothing beyond orgasm. At least she could lay claim to that. Her partners always came. She made sure of it.
But what about Cori? She was more than a forgettable liaison, worth more than thirty minutes pushed against a wall. She was the type of woman who should be taken home to meet the family, who deserved promises and a lifetime plan. All things Rae couldn’t give her and shouldn’t even be contemplating.
The blonde whispered something to her friends, and then made her way over to Rae and Tami. She stood in front of Rae, one hip thrust out the side, her little black dress working its way up her thigh. Rae wondered if Cori had a dress like that. She’d like to see her wearing it, and peel it off her.
“Hi.” The woman’s voice was high and soft like a little girl’s. Nothing like Cori’s rich alto. “I’m Vicky.”
“Rae.” Rae kissed her hand. It was the right move for a practiced seduction, but it left her cold. “This is Tami.”
Vicky went through the motions with Tami, but kept her attention focused on Rae. “My friends and I are here on vacation.” She motioned toward the other women. “I love Vegas, don’t you? We thought we’d check out the dancing here tonight, see what kind of fun we could have.”
Tami was right. Normally it would be nice to spend some time three-fingers-deep in Vicky in the storage room. With Rae’s tongue down her throat she wouldn’t be able to continue talking. Rae wondered if her voice would still be irritating when she was moaning. She took women to that closet because she didn’t have time for more, didn’t want time for more.
The memory of Cori backing her against the door, forcing her hand into her pants stopped Rae cold. She was suddenly irrationally bothered that she’d treated Cori the same way she treated every other woman she’d been with in the past few years. What was she trying to prove? That her attraction to Cori was just as short-lived and meaningless?
Rae frowned as a realization dawned on her. She had tried to work Cori out of her system, but her attempt had obviously backfired or she wouldn’t be so uninterested in the perfectly fuckable woman standing right in front of her. This obsessive need to find Cori had to end now. Rae couldn’t afford such self-indulgence. It was crazy for her think constantly of a woman she had no hope of developing a relationship with. Furthermore, when did she start wanting a relationship? The thought, and the woman who provoked it, were simply too much to contemplate. She needed to forget about Cori and return to familiar ground, enjoying herself with an unfamiliar body.
Tami looked inside the club. It was too early to judge what the night would be like. “Looks kind of lame.”
“A friend of ours is having a party if you’re interested,” Vicky said hopefully.
Rae considered her choices. No matter how much her body craved Cori, that desire would only lead to disaster. She didn’t have relationships, certainly not with tourists. Vicky sucked in her bottom lip, a pouty, sexy move that did nothing for Rae’s heart rate. But she cupped the blonde’s cheek anyway and traced her thumb across the welcoming lips.
“I’m going wherever you are, Vicky.”
*
The yellow cab dropped them in front of a nondescript apartment building, too run-down to be upscale but too polished to be a slum.
“You sure this is the place?” Cori wrinkled her nose.
Old high school friend or not, she wondered how well Julie knew her seminar-long playmate. Well enough for Cori to trust her advice about a party in an unknown city, at an unknown apartment in a questionable-at-best neighborhood? The air in the parking lot was stale and hard. She wanted to climb back in the cab and return to the hotel. Even if she couldn’t find Rae at the casino, she could go dancing at the club.
Cori realized that she’d spent a lot of time during this trip being led forcibly to places she didn’t really want to go. Deciding to make an excuse to Julie, she looked back, but the cab was already gone.
“Come on.” Julie tugged her arm.
The building was set up like a traditional motel, with an outside entrance to each apartment rather than an indoor corridor like she was used to. People were spilling out the front along with loud club music.
Julie pointed to an open door at the end. “That’s the apartment.”
They worked their way into the crowd, easing between bodies.
“Want a drink?” Cori’s voice was lost in the pounding drum beat as they entered a long living room packed with women.
Julie yelled, “I’ll get it.” She headed toward the kitchen.
Cori gave in to the music and danced her way to the edge of the room, looking for a place to relax. She made it past the outer ring of people when she saw Rae’s face through the crowd. She was in a corner, her attention elsewhere. Cori moved closer, wanting to get her attention, dance a little, and maybe take her back to the hotel. She stopped cold when she saw that Rae was with another woman. Who was half-naked. Rae drew the semi-clad blonde back against the wall with her, holding her tight.
Cori was riveted in place. She wanted to drag the woman off Rae by the roots of her peroxide-blond hair. At the same time she wanted to escape out the door. Instead she stood very still, feet cemented to the floor, and stared.
She focused exclusively on Rae, factoring out the blonde, who had just dropped to her knees. With her head thrown back and her eyes half-closed, Rae gripped the woman’s head, knotting her fingers in her hair as she thrust into her. She was beautiful, feral, dangerous. But beneath her confidence and vibrant appeal, Cori saw something more, an almost indefinable quality. Sadness? Fear? Rae’s movements seemed forced, like she was relying on muscle memory, rather than lust, to drive her forward. Yet she was obviously enjoying herself.
Cori licked her lips. In her mind, it was her hair Rae held. Her lips. Her tongue coaxing Rae into a raging hard storm. God, she wanted to taste her, see what she could learn in the flavor of her essence, find out where her breaking point was and push her past it with her tongue. Her fingers itched. She wanted everything, smooth skin, wet heat, everywhere, and right now. She wanted to make Rae sweat. She wanted to drive the memory of every other lover from her head. She wanted Rae to feel her lips every time she came, no matter who was kneeling in front of her. She wanted to possess Rae from the inside and fuck away the need for other women until all Rae was left with was Cori’s image burned into her skin.
Rae jerked and shuddered, but she held the blonde’s head in place, not granting her permission to stand. She opened her eyes slowly, pushed one hand through her hair, and met Cori’s gaze across the room. Shock worked its way across her face, followed by a moment of panic, but she didn’t lower her eyes.
They stared at one another, Cori’s heart aching, until the blonde rose to her feet, obscuring Rae’s face from view. Cori shook herself free of her inertia and pushed her way through the crowd. Once she was out the door, she ran hard, desperate to put distance between her and Rae, not trusting her emotions. But Rae’s hazy, desire-flushed face chased her down the street and into the night. And it still flashed before her as she reached the hotel and rushed blindly to her room.
Cori couldn’t wash that image away, standing under a hot shower, or block it by forcing herself to thi
nk of something else. Rae seemed to taunt her, making her angry and aroused all at once. Cori didn’t know what was worse, hating her or wanting her.
Chapter Six
Rae paused at the bottom of the steps and her backpack threatened to slide off her shoulders completely. She hiked it into position and stared up at Beam Hall. Students surged past her on their way to class. All she had to do was release herself to the tide and flow with them to her room. But she couldn’t.
A nagging voice in the back of her head chided her about the hurt she’d carelessly inflicted on Cori. She wanted to find her and explain herself. But Cori was a tourist. Surely Rae, like everything else in Vegas, was nothing more than an enjoyable distraction for her. Why did it matter what Cori thought of her?
Rae forced herself to resume her journey, only to pause again a few yards from her classroom door. Her future waited on the other side. Her classes were essential if she was going to have the career she wanted. But she couldn’t shake free of the look of shock and betrayal on Cori’s face last night.
It made no sense to be so disturbed by the memory. It wasn’t like Rae was looking for a relationship. If it didn’t matter, why wasn’t she sitting inside her classroom right now? The stream of students around her lightened until she stood alone, no closer to seizing the future she’d mapped out for herself. Finally, she gave up resisting. She had to find Cori and make things right between them.
She arrived at the hotel after a near miss with an enthusiastic if inattentive driver behind the wheel of a rental sedan. The express elevator moved in a painful crawl. Now that she was committed to finding Cori, she couldn’t get there quick enough. When she arrived at Cori’s floor, doubt overwhelmed her. What would she do if Cori refused to see her? If she told her to go away? The thought sent a ripple of panic through her. She couldn’t let that happen.
She dragged her leaden feet down the corridor and stopped in front of Cori’s door. She didn’t knock. What could she say? Could she tell Cori that she’d been with her, in her mind, the night before? That she’d felt nothing until she replaced the blonde’s image with a memory of Cori. That the thought of Cori’s tongue on her had sent her trembling over the edge. Worse, what if knowing that Rae had been thinking of her but had sex with a stranger anyway hurt Cori further?
With that last thought fresh in her mind, Rae turned away from the door. She couldn’t face her. And when it came right down to it, an apology wouldn’t matter anyway. Cori would soon be gone, leaving Rae behind to resume her life. Rae didn’t believe the offer of a job with the band would make any difference. Cori had a life and a good career elsewhere. Why would she throw away her security for a gamble on a musical daydream? And, if she had any illusions about a romance, Rae had certainly dispelled those. In fact, if she tried to make up for her behavior now, she would probably be lucky to escape without getting her face slapped.
Before she could retreat to the elevator, Cori’s door swung open. Rae’s brain bolted, but her feet remained rooted firmly in place. She braced herself.
“Shit.” Cori’s friend Julie tripped backward when she saw Rae. “You scared the crap out of me.” She scrunched up her face. “You’re Rae, right?”
“Yes. I need to talk to Cori.”
“Cori’s not here.” Julie’s tone revealed nothing, and her expression was locked down tight and guarded like Fort Knox. Still, Rae had to try.
“Will you tell me where she is?” She struggled to keep the tremble in her chest from reaching her voice.
“I’m not sure she wants to see you.”
“No, I don’t imagine she does.”
Rae wanted to say more, but how could she? Lost inside the impossible swirl of her thoughts, she couldn’t sort out how she could make Julie trust her. She had to convince Julie that Cori was important to her.
Julie’s expression softened. “Why do you want to see her?”
Why? To tell her she was sorry. To take away the hurt in her eyes. To beg forgiveness. To just be close to her again. Rae closed her eyes. She should walk away and leave this mess behind. It would only lead to heartache.
“I don’t know.” It was the only real truth she could grab onto.
Julie glanced at her phone, checking the time. “She’ll be in the Plateau meeting room for another fifteen minutes.”
Rae blinked. She didn’t know if she should shout, hug Julie, or tear off down the hall. She opted for the last choice, with a hasty thanks over her shoulder as she hustled away. The Plateau was on the other side of the property, in the convention center. She’d be able to make it in fifteen minutes if she ran and the elevator gods were on her side.
*
Cori glanced at her watch. Only five more minutes of this half-baked hell and she’d be free. When she rose that morning, it had seemed like a good idea to attend the lecture about record keeping for independent operators. Even if she didn’t learn anything new, she’d hoped it would distract her thoughts. Images of Rae played in constant loop in her mind. She saw her mouth twisted with release as she came last night, and her body shuddering against the wall. And that woman, not Cori, on her knees in front of her, Rae’s hands in her hair.
Not only did the seminar fail to dull the refrain, but the recycled air left her throat scratchy and dry. To top it off, the man in front of her smelled of mothballs and forgotten Fritos. When the speaker brought the session to a close by asking if there were any questions, Cori mentally threatened to dissect anyone who dared speak up. Thankfully no one needed another clarification and they were released. She sucked in a breath as she exited the room. The air was no less stale, but it was gloriously free from the smell of fried corn products.
She stopped short when she saw Rae leaning against the opposite wall, her expression at once guarded and pleading. Holding Cori’s gaze, she straightened and walked slowly toward her. In the span of fifteen steps, Cori debated all the arguments against standing her ground and demanding an explanation for Rae’s behavior. She had no claim on her. They’d had sex, that was all, and obviously their encounter meant nothing to Rae. But entitled or not, her heart screamed out its jealousy.
“Hi.” Rae’s sky blue eyes were cloudy and dark. Cori wondered if that’s what guilt looked like on a player’s face.
Of all the questions raging inside her head, the only word that made it past her lips was another, “Hi.”
They stared at each other, stationary against the tide of conventioneers. The seconds passed without a word, just the longing look on Rae’s face holding Cori in place. Rae’s mouth parted more than once, and nothing came out. She lifted her hand and cupped Cori’s cheek. The soft pressure of her thumb burned a path over the planes of Cori’s face. God help her, she relaxed into the touch and closed her eyes, allowing the sensation to momentarily chase away the track in her head.
“Spend the day with me?” Rae asked.
“I don’t know.”
Cori’s insides knotted at the simple request. She should say no, take her books and her heart to her room, pack her clothes, and fly to Seattle early. It was the only safe thing to do. No rational person would choose to stay here and sort through the contradictory signals Rae kept giving her. But Rae’s unexpected presence made it impossible to walk away. Cori wanted to know her motivation for being here. She wanted to peel back another layer and find out who Rae really was.
“Cori…” Rae glanced around, like if she looked hard enough, she’d find the words she was searching for written on the wall. “Sometimes I do stupid things.”
Her hand slid down Cori’s arm. Her fingers toyed with the tips of Cori’s, but she didn’t reach for more. Cori closed the gap, pulling Rae to her for a slow, exploring kiss. She traced the inside of Rae’s mouth, searching for a leftover taste of the night before. She found nothing but the soft, warm slide of Rae’s tongue against hers. Rae whimpered and sagged in her arms, a tremor just beneath the surface.
Cold air replaced Rae’s lips before Cori was ready. What was it about this woman?
She turned Cori inside out with a glance, a touch. The first day by the pool, the seduction had felt well rehearsed. Now, however, Cori got the distinct impression that Rae was flying blind, relying on instinct. She was asking for something more, but Cori didn’t know what that was. As she took Rae’s hand and followed her out of the casino, she doubted Rae knew either.
One thing was certain, she wanted to find out.
*
According to the odometer in Rae’s car, they’d traveled fifteen miles into the desert, leaving the strip behind. Cori relaxed in the passenger seat, Rae’s hand on her thigh. The window was down and KT Tunstall played on the stereo.
“Where are you taking me?” Cori asked.
“Away from who I am.” Rae’s voice was distant and reflective. Smiling, she patted Cori’s leg and pointed to a road sign. “We’ll be at the Hoover Dam in about twenty minutes.”
Cori wondered about Rae’s answer. While she was clinging to bits and pieces, trying to discover the real Rae underneath the image, Rae seemed willing to abandon that part of herself she donned for the tourists, shedding it at the city limits.
“Where would you normally be right now, if you weren’t here with me?” Cori asked. She hoped Rae was ready to share, if only just a little.
The face in the mirror smiled lazily back at her. “In class.” Rae glanced at the clock in the dash. “Collective bargaining and public policy.”
For Cori, who made her living through touch and intuition, the description did little to communicate what the class was about. “What’s your major?”
Rae trailed her fingers idly over the inside seam of Cori’s jeans. “Business management.” She smiled, her eyes hidden behind her dark glasses. “I want the big office on the top floor.”
The ambitious statement seemed at odds with the windblown woman in the driver’s seat. Cori tried to picture Rae in a suit, all buttoned up and pin-striped. She could easily imagine her in the role of power dyke. Rae’s sexy smile and easy confidence lent readily to the image.