Biker (9 page)

No more worrying about how she would pay her mortgage. She could pay off her condo if she wanted! She was going to need to think everything through once she was home. She needed to re-evaluate her life.

Maybe she would move. She could sell her condo and put the money into a new house. Maybe a nice townhome like the one Liz had. Someplace that wouldn’t remind her of Todd. There were so many things to think about.

“Alright, you can open your eyes,” Blaze called back to her, and Noelle opened her eyes, but quickly shut them as the rushing air hit them. Slowly, she opened them again. They were turning onto the strip, and the sun was in the sky; it was early morning.

Noelle wondered what time it was.

Blaze pulled up outside of Caesar’s. He pulled an empty cigarette pack from his pocket.

“Take this,” he said shoving the pack into her hands. Noelle looked down and saw a phone number scrawled across it. “If you ever want to make some more cash... or just want to have a good time,” he said, smirking as he said the last part, “Then find a pay phone and call this number.”

Noelle was too stunned to respond. Blaze moved to leave.

“Wait!” she cried. She couldn’t see his eyes with the hat pulled so low. “I just wanted to say... thank you.”

Blaze tilted his head up so she could see his eyes. “You’re welcome.” And with that he roared away, rocketing out onto the strip, leaving her standing there in bewilderment.

She watched him go, filled with both relief and sadness.

She had just experienced the most thrilling, terrifying and sexually charged night of her life. She had done things that she would never have dreamed of doing before. In fact, if someone had asked her a mere twelve hours ago if she would ever help rob a casino of twenty million dollars, and then engage in raw, unbridled, dangerous sex with a complete stranger, she would have vehemently denied any possibility of engaging in such behaviors .

Yet, she had just done all of those things, and it had all felt so liberating and satisfying. Not only that, but she had just made an obscene amount of money. Though she felt horribly guilty about it, she pushed those feelings aside. From one wild, yet criminal night, almost all of her financial worries had been take care of.

Noelle suddenly realized that she didn’t want to attract any attention by standing outside the hotel, especially in the questionable clothing she was wearing, so she scurried inside. Glancing at the clock in the lobby she saw that it was nearly seven in the morning. Her cellphone had died sometime during the night, and she had no idea if Liz and Quinn had tried to contact her.

She made her way up to their suite and slipped inside. It was dark inside, the curtains drawn shut, but she heard Quinn’s sleepy voice from the bedroom. “Noelle? Is that you?”

“Yes.”

“Thank goodness! Now get your ass in bed and you can tell us all about it later,” she said groggily.

Noelle rolled her eyes but smiled; even when half-asleep, Quinn was bossy as hell. She peeled off the borrowed clothes from the club, and put on her own comfortable pajamas. Suddenly she felt bone tired, and she realized that she had been up for well over twenty-four hours.

She took the padded envelope out of her purse, feeling the weight of it in her hands. She gingerly opened it and glanced inside.

“Oh my God,” she gasped at the thick pile of green bills. She quickly closed it, afraid that she would get in trouble just by looking at the money. She glanced around the room, wondering where she could hide the money. She hated that she couldn’t tell Liz and Quinn about what happened. However, she was certainly going to share about her wild night with Blaze.

Noelle decided the safest place to hide the money would be her suitcase. She gently and quietly tore back part of the stiff lining at the bottom of her suitcase, slid the envelope inside, and then pushed the lining back in place. She then piled a few clothes on top of it for good measure.

She was grateful that Liz had suggested they set up the sofa bed the night before, because Noelle was too tired now to have deal with it. She pulled back the soft sheets and climbed inside, relieved to have the money hidden. She wanted to mull over her night with Blaze, to dissect it and remember it, but she could no longer evade sleep; she was out in seconds.

N
oelle cracked her eyes open, her body feeling heavy and exhausted. She tried to remember why she was so tired and everything came back to her. The night with Blaze, the money, robbing the casino.

“It really happened,” she croaked to herself, rubbing her eyes. There was a thin strip of sunlight coming through the drawn curtains, and she heard quiet mumblings in the back bedroom where Quinn and Liz had slept.

Staggering out of bed, Noelle went over to her phone, which had been charging while she slept. She checked the time – it was nearly eleven in the morning. Rubbing at her eyes, she walked sleepily toward the bedroom door and knocked.

“Come in!” Liz called.

Noelle pushed the door open and squinted at the bright sunlight that filled the room.

“Well, hello sunshine,” Quinn greeted her as she lounged across her bed.

“Sorry. Have you two been up a while?” Noelle sat down next to Liz on her bed.

“No. Only a half hour or so.”

There was a long silence and Noelle looked from Quinn to Liz.

“Well...” Quinn said dramatically, “Are you going to tell us what happened?”

Liz smirked.

Noelle bit her lip, nervous, unsure of where to start.

“Oh come on!” Quinn said impatiently, “Just tell us if you slept with him or not!”

A slow smile spread across her face.

“You totally did!” Liz squealed, throwing a pillow at her.

Noelle ducked the pillow, and her cheeks flushed bright red.

“Oh. My. God. Tell us everything!” Quinn ordered, sitting up and bringing her knees underneath her. She bounced eagerly on the bed. “Every detail!”

Noelle laughed nervously. “There really isn’t much to tell...”

“Oh please!” Liz rolled her eyes. “You’ve been sleeping with the same person for years, and then you go and have a one night stand with a seriously hot stranger. There is
plenty
to tell.”

“Okay, okay, okay!” Noelle said excitedly, unable to keep it from her friends any longer. She
wanted
to share about how incredible Blaze had been in bed.

“So, we went to the high roller room and—” she hesitated for just a moment, unsure of how to gloss over the robbery. “—it was pretty uneventful. But there was amazing alcohol and he was really into me!”

“I knew he liked you!” Quinn interrupted.

“So, he offered we go back to his place. He drove us there, and then he was really coming on to me and at first I just thought he was being nice...”

Liz and Quinn were both hanging on her every word. Without being too graphic, Noelle went on to explain the rest, occasionally throwing in little bits and pieces about Blaze being in control, and how he maneuvered her into intoxicating positions.

When she was finished, Quinn was shaking her head in disbelief and Liz looked like her eyes were going to pop out.

“I’m
so
jealous,” Liz whispered.

“I’m so horny!” Quinn declared, jumping up and pacing the room. “Seriously, Noelle. You couldn’t have had a better first night in Vegas! I’m jealous too!”

And Noelle had to admit that Blaze had certainly accomplished what he had promised her he would do – she was sore beyond belief. She was tender and swollen between her legs and every time she moved just an inch, she winced.

“Look at you,” Quinn said with mock disgust, “You can barely move! He did a number on you.” She sighed. “What I wouldn’t give for some hot stranger to take charge in the bedroom and fuck me every which way!”

“Quinn!” Noelle squeaked.

“What? It’s the truth!”

After Quinn and Liz were finished grilling her, the women decided to get their bathing suits on and lounge by the pool. Since it was already lunchtime, they decided to take in some Vegas sunshine and eat poolside, instead of wasting more time indoors.

Once the women were set up at the pool and enjoying mimosas while waiting for their food, they began to discuss what they were going to do for the remaining three days.

“I really want to see a show,” Liz said, examining her pink toenails.

Quinn nodded. “That would be fun. What do you think, Noelle?”

“Hmmm?” Noelle had been thinking of how Blaze had made her kneel on all fours before licking her.

Quinn grinned. “Daydreaming?”

Noelle rolled her eyes, but laughed.

“Anyway,” Quinn continued, “Liz just suggested we see a show. What do you think? We could get tickets for tonight or tomorrow. I think we should leave our last night open.”

“That sounds great. I’d love to see a show.”

“I think we should go tomorrow. Let’s wander the strip tonight,” Liz said. Quinn and Noelle agreed, and then their food arrived. They spent the rest of the day basking and napping in the sun. Liz and Quinn were tired, but Noelle knew they weren’t as exhausted as she was. Once they'd had their fill of the sun, they went back to their room, tanner than they had been that morning.

Noelle napped again while Quinn and Liz went off to explore the hotel, and when she woke up around seven in the evening, the suite was quiet. She glanced hopefully at her phone, but knew it was foolish, because Blaze didn’t have her number.

She dug the cigarette pack out of its hiding place in a pocket of her luggage. She studied the number, wondering if it was Blaze’s cell phone or some other number. He had been so mysterious by saying that she had to call from a pay phone. Maybe it was just a pager number. She turned the empty pack over and over again in her hands, wishing she could call him right now. What she wouldn’t give to spend another night tangled in the sheets with him!

Sighing, she stood up to take a shower before Quinn and Liz came back. She winced, feeling her sore and tender muscles, and knew that truthfully, she wouldn’t be able to physically handle another night with Blaze even if she wanted to; she needed to recover.

There was something profound and primal about the way Blaze had left her... it wasn’t that he had left her
damaged
but he had certainly left her
altered
. It was as if her mind and body would never be the same again.

She showered quickly and when she emerged, Liz and Quinn were in their room, applying makeup and getting dressed.

“She lives!” Liz joked.

Noelle laughed, toweling off her hair. Coming to Vegas with her friends had been such a good idea. Instead of wallowing over Todd at home, she was actually enjoying herself in a vibrant city with her closest friends.

“Get dressed!” Quinn ordered, ushering her out of the room. “We decided that we’re going to dinner at the Paris, checking out the fountains at the Bellagio, and maybe riding the rooftop coaster at the New York New York.”

Noelle eyed her dubiously. “I don’t think I’m riding anything after I eat.’’

“Okay, well maybe we’ll do that first. But either way, get ready!”

“What’s the dress code tonight?” Noelle joked.

Quinn tilted her head, thinking carefully. “Not as dressy as last night.” She pursed her lips as she thought. “How about classy, with just a hint of sexy.”

Noelle burst out laughing. “Whatever that means.” She settled for a pair of skinny jeans with a plunging black blouse and electric blue heels. The shoes were a purchase that Quinn had insisted Noelle buy last summer. Noelle swore up and down that she would never, ever wear them, but Quinn promised that she would one day.

When Quinn saw Noelle’s shoes, she clapped her hands together happily.

“Yay! I knew you would wear them some day! Vegas is the perfect place!”

Once they were dressed, the three women set off down the strip, ready for another unpredictable night in Vegas.

L
iz turned around to face Noelle, who was seated forlornly in the back seat of the car. “You tell us if you need
anything.
Do you understand?”

Noelle nodded.

“I mean it, Noelle. Tell us. Call us. Any time.”

Quinn parked the car and turned around to face her too. “Seriously, Noelle, you can call either one of us.”

“I think I’m going to come by tomorrow night with dinner,” Liz added.

“Really, Liz, you don’t have to do that.”

Liz waved her off.

“And I’m going to stop by the following day,” Quinn told her. “I can help you go through some of the stuff in the condo. I’m good at throwing out things.”

Noelle’s stomach rolled. The thought of purging what was in her condo made her sick and made everything seem that much more real. While they were in Vegas, it had been easy to ignore what had happened between her and Todd. But now that Quinn had just pulled up outside of her building, Noelle realized that she was going to have to face what had happened.

The condo would be empty; devoid of anything connected to Todd.

She took a deep breath.

“I’ll be fine.” But she knew she wouldn’t be.

“Bullshit!” Quinn gave her a hard look. “Want us to come up with you now?”

“No, I need to do this.” She hugged each of her friends. “Thank you for inviting me to Vegas. I really did need that. You guys are the best.”

She got out of the car, pulling her suitcase with her.

“Call us if you need anything!” Liz yelled through the open window.

Noelle nodded and then waved as they drove off.

Taking a deep breath, she carried her bags upstairs. She unlocked the door and waited for the grief to crush her.

Surprisingly, it didn’t come.

Yes, she felt sad, and yes, the condo felt empty in a bleak sort of way, but it wasn’t as terrible as she had been expecting.

And she felt stronger because of it. She was a survivor, and she knew she would survive this break up, just like she had survived her childhood. Noelle thought of Vivienne and she remembered how she had promised herself that she would call her sister after returning from Vegas. Maybe she would deal with that tomorrow. She still had three days off before she had to return to work.