As Luck Would Have It (7 page)

Although the thought had never crossed his mind, it would be cool. “No sweetness, would you get a belly ring?”

She had wanted to pierce her belly button years ago, but it wasn’t something Philippe liked. “I would have maybe fifteen, twenty years ago, but now, I don’t know.” She looked indecisive.

“Are you afraid?”

“Fuck no, I’ve had four kids. Did you forget?”

“You’re not going to tell me you’re self-conscious about the way your body looks again, are you?”

“Well, no. It’s just that I don’t want other people to think I’m too old or out of shape to have it.”

“You’re not too old, and you have the shape of a twenty-five year old. So will you do it?” He waited anxiously for her answer.

“Yeah, I guess. When?”

“When we finish eating, we can go back to Planet Hollywood. There’s a place called Club Tattoo in the mall. They do piercings.”

Sydney hesitated. “What would I get? I don’t want anything gourdy. It has to be feminine and classy. Maybe a dragonfly or butterfly.”

“I’m sure they have a great selection.” He hoped they had what he wanted, a plain ring with a diamond either on it or dangling from it. If she wasn’t ready to take her wedding rings off, then maybe she’d wear his ring in her belly till he could replace the ones on her finger.

Later, as they stood in front of Club Tattoo, Marcus grabbed her hand. “Syd, you sure you’re okay with this? If you’re not, please don’t think I’ll be mad.” He sounded a little worried.

“Whatever, it’s just a hole in my bellybutton. If I don’t like it I can always let it close up.” Grabbing Marcus’ hand she tugged him into the store, “Let’s get this over with.”

She picked a very small dragonfly attached to a steel bar. As she was lying on the table, waiting to be pierced, her mind was going a mile a minute.
First you have sex with a complete stranger. Granted, he’s no stranger anymore. You’ve had sex in places we won’t ever mention again. And now you’re piercing your belly button. What the fuck is up with me?

Before she knew it, the ordeal was over. Sydney admired the dragonfly shining at her navel. Now that the scary part was over, she really liked it. She found Marcus leaning against a jewelry showcase in the lobby, his arms and legs crossed.

“You look so hot with that babe.” He grinned from ear to ear as he reached out to devour her in his arms. “I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to keep my promise tonight,” he declared, kissing her neck.

“You better. I’m so looking forward to just going home and relaxing in bed in your arms.”

When they reached the suite, they made a mad dash for the bed. Marcus stretched his arm out so Sydney could scoot over and cuddle. “So what are we watching?”

“Doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s a comedy.  Pick whatever you want.” Sydney was so comfortable with her head resting on his chest, her arm and leg draped over his body. She knew she probably wouldn’t get past the opening credits before she fell asleep. It had been such an exhausting day.

CHAPTER N
ine

When they left the hotel the next morning, Sydney noticed a motorcycle parked on the side of the road. “Wow, tha
t’s a nice bike,” she commented.

“Don’t freak out, but that’s our bike. You’ll be totally safe; I’ve bee
n riding since I was little.”

“I’m not freaking. I love it.” She examined it up close. “When I was younger, I used to ride dirt bikes with the boys on the block in our backyards.” She had always wanted Philippe to get a motorcycle, but then
they had kids and he never did. “You’re so awesome, babe. I love…that you’re so easy going,” he said, kissing her lips quickly to make up for the pause.

Holy shit, he almost said he loved me. Me, as a person. I knew I should have packed an extra pair of panties.

Marcus handed her a black three-quarter shell helmet. “Did you remember the hair tie?” he asked, holding his hand out for it.

“Yeah, here.” She placed it in his hand.

“Put your helmet on and turn around.” To her surprise, he grabbed her hair and braided it. It felt perfect. “I don’t want your hair to be all tangled when we get there.” He reached into his jeans pocket and handed her a lip gloss.

She couldn’t stop smiling. He thought of everything. Even though her helmet made it difficult, she reached up and kissed him.

Marcus put on his gray beanie helmet and mounted the bike. He held his hand out to help Sydney. “Get on.”

Sydney grabbed his hand, swung her leg over the seat, and scooted right behind him. She placed her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his back.

“Hold on, but not too tight. I need to breathe.” He glanced back at Sydney, she nodded okay, and they were off.             

It was a beautiful ride through the desert. She had an idea of where they might be going. There wasn’t very much to see outside of the Strip in Nevada. 

As she suspected, they reached the Hoover Dam half an hour later. It was a spectacular view. Marcus parked the bike off to the side of the road, and they got off to take a closer look. Marcus stood behind Sydney with his arms around her waist as they gazed down at Lake Meade. Being on the dam with Marcus gave Sydney a feeling of serenity. They stood together, just staring out at the water, for over an hour.

“We could walk the dam if you want, then I have somewhere else I want to go,” Marcus stated.

“Yeah, that would be fine.” She turned and kissed him.

They walked the entire length of the dam and back. “Ready to get back on the bike and go?” Marcus asked Sydney.

She was anxious to see where they were going next. “Yeah, but we’re not going to the Grand Canyon, are we? That seems like an awful long drive from here.”

“No, you’ll love where we’re going next. Get on.”

The second ride took a little less than two hours. They would have been there sooner but needed to make a pit stop halfway so Sydney could use the restrooms. The wetness in her crotch was causing her to chafe between her lace panties and the tight jeans.

If she could just keep her mind on the scenery, she’d be fine, but straddling Marcus on that bike had her mind wandering.
She imagined sitting in front of Marcus naked, her legs straddled over his. Between the humming of the bike under her bare ass and the cold sensation of his steel barbell against her clit, they were having the most incredible sex on that bike.

When she got back on the bike, she sat a little farther away and didn’t rest her head on his back. She sat as straight as she could trying to keep her mind off sex. Sydney was glad when they reached their destination. By concentrating so hard on not thinking of sex, she hadn’t even noticed her surroundings.

Once she snapped out of it, Sydney took in the views of the enormous red sandstone formations. It was awe inspiring. “Where are we?”

“The Valley of Fire State Park,” Marcus answered.

“It’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“It is, but not as beautiful as you.” He grabbed her waist and spun her around. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He looked her right in the eyes and planted a seductive kiss on her lips. “Let’s go look around before it gets too l
ate.”

They walked for miles, checking out all the red rock formations. Sydney was glad to have boots on, but she was getting hot in her jeans.

They walked the edge of the lake until Sydney couldn’t walk any more. “Can we just sit for a while and rest? I’m so hot in these jeans.”

“If we walk a little farther, it looks like it’s a little more secluded. We can go swimming,” He pulled her along eagerly.

“I didn’t wear a bathing suit. You didn’t tell me to wear a bathing suit, Marcus,” she said sternly with her eyes bulging.

“I didn’t think we’d need them, and the truth is we don’t. There’s no one around.” He looked around before dropping his jeans to the dirt. “Come on. It’ll be fun. Don’t worry.” He kicked off his boxers and waited for Sydney.

One look at him standing there absolutely naked, and she couldn’t refuse. “Only with you, Mr. Matthews, would this ever happen.” She shook her head in disbelief and stripped her clothes off, hesitating when it came time to remove her bra and undies.

“If you leave those on, they’ll be wet, and you’ll have to put your clothes on over them. Your choice,” he said with a smirk.

There was no way she was riding all the way back to the hotel in soaking wet undergarments. She was having enough trouble with the panties from her own dampness. Quickly, she removed everything, grabbed his hand, and ran into the lake. The cool water felt refreshing against her flush skin.

Marcus cradled Sydney in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his ear. “This is so rejuvenating. Thank you for bringing me here. You really are something out of a fairy tale.”

“Babe, I told you the first night we meet that I would do whatever it took to make you feel special. I meant it, and it’s not just while we’re here in Vegas. It’s forever.”

Sydney was speechless, totally blown away by the thought of forever. Trying hard not to think about how her first forever ended, she covered his mouth with hers and began swabbing his mouth with her tongue.

Marcus dropped her legs and ran his hands all over her body. She felt so smooth in the water. Placing his hands on her ass, he slipped his penis into her. It was the most effortless love making. Being virtually weightless in the water, Sydney could move her body to maximize the intensity of her climax, which extended Marcus’ as well.

“We better get out and dry off. It’s getting pretty late, and we still have to walk back to the bike.” Sydney pulled Marcus out of the water.

By the time they made their way back to the motorcycle, the sun began to set. It was the most amazing sunset either one of them had ever seen. Setting behind the red sandstone formations, it looked like the sun was in flames.

Before getting on the bike, Sydney turned to Marcus and said, “We told each other we would be honest from the beginning. I need to tell you something.” She dropped her head and began to cry.

“Baby, what’s the matter? You can tell me. It won’t change anything.” He cupped her chin and raised her face to his, giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Tell me.”

“I’m afraid it will change everything. This truly has been a fairytale for me. From the moment you got on the plane up to this unbelievable sunset. I didn’t think it would be possible to be happy again, let alone to fall in love.”

Marcus squeezed Sydney’s face between his hands, “Did you just say you’re falling in love with me?”

“Actually, I didn’t say I was still falling. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.” Sydney couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“Well, let me first apologize. I haven’t been completely honest and upfront with you lately. Sydney, I’ve been falling in love with you since the very first night I left you in your suite. I know, I was being a geek, but I didn‘t want to scare you away.”  He drew her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. “And you’re right. It does change everything, but nothing we can’t work out together. Come on, let’s get going. It’s gonna be a hell of a long ride back now that I know you love me, and I can’t wait to get you into bed and show you just how much I love you.”

The ride back to the hotel was a total blur for Sydney.
This isn’t a fairytale. It’s a nightmare. How could you have fallen in love with this man? Yeah, he’s hot and all, but, you have four children at home that need you. How are you gonna manage this one, Einstein?  You’re going home to Delaware in two days and don’t even know where his home is. Wow, you really fucked this up royally.

Marcus was glad to arrive back at the hotel. The entire ride back, Sydney’s arms were dead locked around his waist to the point where he was having trouble breathing. He hadn’t said anything because he wasn’t sure what was going on in her head. She had been silent ever since she confessed she loved him.

As soon as they entered the suite, Sydney went to the bedroom. She began gathering her stuff. She threw it all in her bag and headed towards the door. Marcus stood in the doorway. “What’s going on? Where are you going?”

With tears in her eyes and her head hung down, she said, “I’m gonna go back to my suite. This will never work. It can’t, and I don’t think it’s fair to string you along. I won’t survive another loss. My kids are counting on me to get it together, and I only have two days left.”

“Syd, come sit with me.” He led her to the wet bar, grabbed two bottles of water and handed her one. “Here, we really need to talk. I know it’s been a whirlwind for the past five days. But it’s been the best five days of my life. I couldn’t imagine living one more day without you in it. Tell me what we have to do to make this work. You said you loved me. Are you taking it back?”

It took a moment for Sydney to get her thoughts together. “I do love you, and that’s what scares me. Here, it’s just you and me. Back home, I have two kids who want to go to college, a sixteen year old who is struggling with her hormones, and a thirteen year old who is still just a baby in my eyes. How could I expect you to deal with all that and then some?” She still couldn’t look him in the face. “There are so many unanswered questions. How long are you in Vegas for? Where do you live?”

Before Sydney could continue, Marcus interrupted, “I was only supposed to be in Vegas for three days. When I found out you’d be here for a week, I canceled my return flight and extended my stay here.  I live in Delaware, and the rest we can work out as we go along.” He lifted Sydney’s chin and kissed her lips. “I mean it when I say ‘I love you’ and nothing else matters.” He brushed his lips over hers.

“I love you too,” she said, kissing him back. “Did you say you live in Delaware? I live in Delaware.”

“Wait, what?” Marcus had a confused look on his face. “You live in Delaware? I thought you were from Jersey.”

“I am from Jersey, but after I got married, we moved to Delaware. I live in Greenville.”

“Oh, this is going to be easier than I thought.” Marcus had a huge smile on his face. “I live in the Rockford Park section of the Highlands, Wilmington. We’re practically neighbors.”

“That’s not possible. I wouldn’t have missed you in the grocery store. Even when I was happily married, I wasn’t dead.”
              “Well, I don’t food shop. Stella does. And before your mind starts wondering, she’s sort of my housekeeper.”

“Oh yeah, there’s a lot we’re gonna need to figure out. Right now I’m starving. Can we go eat?” She started to get up from the stool.

Marcus grabbed her elbow. “Does this mean we’re okay and that we’ll figure it out as we go along?”

“Yes, I don’t want to spend another day without you either,” she said, kissing him again. “Hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Dad.” She quickly turned and headed for the door.

Marcus caught up with her and pulled her close to him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and whispered, “I will love everyone and anything attached to you.” Then he kissed her seductively.

“Marcus, I’m so hungry for food. We can get naked and spend the rest of the night and all of tomorrow in bed.”

“We’ll get naked after dinner, but tomorrow, I’ve got other plans.”