The sound of feminine laughter caught his attention. Four women crossed the lobby, three Black women and a Latina. They were dressed for a night on the town. A soft perfume cloud surrounded them, making him want to breathe deeply and be part of their world.
It was Dana and her friends.
She and two of the others held “mile-high” slushie drinks from the bar.
Although all four of the women looked glamorous, it was Dana who trapped his gaze. She looked amazing.
Her short, pale pink dress might actually be considered modest for Vegas standards, but it fired up his imagination just fine. The dress itself wasn’t tight or revealing. In fact, with long sleeves and a neckline that sat around her collarbones, it showed little skin above her thighs.
But those thighs.
It came to rest a few inches below her ass. A line of sequins dotted the hem, drawing his gaze to those incredible legs. She wore sparkly silver heels with little straps around her ankles.
So fucking sexy.
Something roared to life inside Alex.
So much for putting her out of his head.
Although she made for a pretty picture, it wasn’t just the dress that attracted him. She laughed at something one of her friends said and her face was the picture of happiness. It was the first time he’d seen this carefree side of her and it made him greedy to see her like this again. He wanted her smiles and laughter and happiness, but he wanted them all to himself.
Most troubling of all, he wanted to inspire her joy.
Stop looking at her. You look like a stalker.
Shaking his head, Alex looked away. It didn’t matter. Her throaty laugh reached his ears a couple of times and then he thought he heard his name.
His fantasies were getting away with him.
“Alex!”
He turned around.
To his surprise, Dana grabbed one of her friends by the arm and led them over to him. She waved, said something to one of the ladies, and giggled. Perched on her high heels, she tripped on her own feet, righted herself, and laughed out loud.
Now he understood why she was so carefree. She’d had one too many slushies.
“Alex,” she said when they reached him. “My buddy. I was thinking of you today.”
Good. Hopefully he’d driven her as mad with curiosity as she’d driven him. “Hello,buddy.”
“Don’t tell me you’re still working. It’s ten o’clock.” She took a sip of her slush drink through the tall straw, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and grinned.
She was definitely tipsy.
“I’m afraid so. No rest for the wicked, as they say.”
“Wicked, huh?” Her dark eyes warmed. She patted his arm, squeezing his biceps. “All work and no play make Alex a dull boy.”
Her friends traded looks.
One of them, a woman whose dark eyes had the same shape as Dana’s, pulled her arm back. “Don’t mind my sister. I think she snuck a couple of extra slushies when we weren’t looking.”
“Who’s counting?” said Dana. “You’re in Vegas now, honey. No one counts the drinks here. Isn’t that right, Alex?” She cleared her throat. “Where are my manners? Ladies, meet Alex Markov. Alex, this is my sister Anise, and our friends Jea and Bessica.” She snorted. “Oh, my God. I mean, Bea and Jessica. Alex is the nice man who put us up in those glamorous suites.”
The other women thanked him and took turns shaking his hand.
When Anise shook his hand, her eyebrow arched. “That was very generous of you.”
