Trust (4 page)

The smell of coffee
tickles my nose until I feel awake enough to open my eyes.  As cliché as it
sounds, I almost expect the previous night to have been a dream and wake to see
Harrison staring at me across the bed.  Instead, all I see is a pillow encased
in much nicer cloth than the one at our hotel.

"I didn't know what
you normally eat for breakfast, so I ordered a few things."

Pushing up onto my
elbows, I spy Chase standing near the closet, already dressed in smooth black
slacks and a dark purple button down shirt.  The top couple buttons are undone
and I see the top of his hard chest.  He was still as good looking as I
remembered.

"You said your
boyfriend's name was Harrison, right?  Does he go by Harry?"

"Just to me," I
nod slowly, letting the sleep fall away from my head before I correct him
again.  "And it's ex-boyfriend.  Why?"

"He's been texting
you all morning," Chase cocks his head toward a table next to the bed
where I'd set my phone down last night.

I sigh heavily, reaching
for it and scrolling through the messages from Harrison.  He wrote that he is
worried sick about me since I didn't come back to the hotel room last night. 
Typical of him not to realize how I was feeling.  He probably thought I just
stormed away in a fit of momentary anger and would be waiting for him back at
the room when he returned.  I throw my phone back onto the bed and turn back to
Chase who is examining himself in the mirror.

He sees me in the
reflection looking at him.  "You should stay here today," he turns
and looks at me with a smile.  "I'd love for you to be here when I get
back, although it might be a while."

"Where are you
going?"  I haven't forgotten the resolution I made last night about
leaving, but the texts from Harrison have reminded me that I have nowhere to
go.  Nowhere that I want to be, anyway.  I really don't want to see him today. 
I don't want to hear any of his excuses or pleas for another chance.

"I'm playing in a
tournament.  It starts at noon."

I glance at the clock and
am surprised that it's already well past eleven.  There is a cart next to the
bed with a variety of breakfast food, as promised, even though it's almost
lunchtime. 

"Eat
something," he motions.  "Get up whenever you feel like it, make
yourself at home.  There's a laptop in the other room you can use.  Have a
shower, do whatever you want."  He pauses, then adds.  "You don't
have to stay here, but don't go back to
him
."

The way he says
him
makes it sound like a bad word.  Like he's an evil monster.  Harry has his
faults, and I'm through with him, but Chase doesn't know him and I have to bite
my tongue to keep from defending him again.  It doesn't matter anyway. 
Besides, it's kind of sweet that Chase is trying to protect me from someone he
regards as bad news, even if it's based on a somewhat misguided first
impression.

"Thank you," I
finally say, although I'm still not sure whether I'm going to stay or not.

Chase gives me his little
half grin and walks forward.  His hand reaches down and cups my bare breast.  I
didn't even notice the covers had fallen away, exposing me.  His hand is warm
and he flicks my nipple with his thumb as he bends forward and kisses me.  I
still feel like it's bold of him, even after last night, but I kiss him back
anyway.  Partly as a reflex but just as much because I remember how good it
feels.

"Stay," he
whispers as he pulls back.  He can tell I'm still unsure.  "I have a break
at two and I'll come back up."  The way he says it makes it clear what he
hopes to do on the break.  To be honest, the idea is appealing to me as well.

I nod and smile, but his
eyes tell me he knows I'm still not convinced.  I may have broken a couple
promises to myself last night, but leaving him behind as a one night stand was
one I had really intended to keep.

Chase straightens,
pulling his hand from my body.  I instantly miss the warmth and intimacy of his
touch but I push the feeling away.  I barely know him, and he's already leaving
for another poker game anyway.  He's likely just as much of a degenerate
gambler as Harrison.  I have to stop getting mixed up in shit like this.

Before he leaves the
room, he grabs his sunglasses from beside the bed and slips them over on.

He finally leaves with
one more promise to return soon and I settle back against the pillows, picking
up my phone and staring at the texts from Harrison.  I spend some time
formulating a reply that will explain how I feel

11:46 AM Lila: Fuck off. 

It's a simple enough
message, but I know with Harry I need to be more direct.

11:47 AM Lila: It's
over. 

He responds immediately,
as if he's been sitting and waiting for me to get back to him.

11:48 AM Harrison: Lila,
let's talk about this.  Come back.  Where r u?

11:50 AM Lila:  There's
nothing to talk about.  It's over Harry. 

He calls now but I don't
pick it up.  Harry hates texting and would much rather talk on the phone, but I
won't give him that respite.  If he wants to continue to bug me, he'll have to
suffer through it.  He finally gives up and goes back to text.

11:55 AM Harrison:  This
is silly.  Please let's talk about it.  What about your stuff?

11:57 AM Lila:  Just
leave it in the room.  I don't want to see or talk to you.  I'm turning off my
phone.

I don't actually turn it
off, but I toss it next to me on vibrate and listen to it buzz as he continues
to plead his case.  I just don't even want to read his excuses anymore. 
They're hollow and meaningless, and hearing them again just makes me angry and
tense. 

Turning my attention to
the food on the tray, I pick up some strawberries and push myself out of bed,
popping them into my mouth and then pouring a cup of coffee.  I don't really
want to put on last night's clothes, and since the blinds are still drawn and
I'm alone, I walk naked into the other room to look for the laptop Chase had
mentioned.

I find it on the coffee
table, open and turned on. 

"Okay Chase
Anderson," I say aloud.  "Let's see who you really are."

After five minutes on
Google I'm back in the bedroom, dialing back to Canada on my cell phone.

"Lila?  Hi, how's
Vegas?"

"Evelyn," I say
my roommate's name quickly, ignoring her question, "tell me everything you
know about Chase Anderson." 

"Oh my god, you are
not!"

"I am, I'm in his
room right now," I can't help but smile at Evelyn's reaction. 

"Wait a second, what
about Harrison?"

Evelyn just finished
telling me that Chase Anderson was regarded as one of the best poker players in
the world, and had apparently won millions playing it.  He had a reputation as
something of a ladies' man, although she wasn't sure how much of that was just
rumor based on his good looks.  He lives in Vegas, but flies around to play in
some of the biggest games around the world.  My roommate was a bit of a fan
girl when it came to poker players a couple of years ago, and I know she still
sort of follows them.  She grew up with a father who was a semi pro himself,
but living in Toronto with a family meant he never gave living the lifestyle a
real shot.  He taught the game to Evelyn when she was young and she was into it
for a while, even earning enough to pay for some of her college tuition.  But
she was never really into it as much as her father, and as far as I knew she
gave the hobby up completely a couple of years ago after graduating.

She actually met Harrison
at a game and the two of them had been casual friends ever since.  She was the
one that initially introduced us, and consequently I wasn't too thrilled with
having to tell her what happened.

"We broke up,"
I finally said, blowing out a long breath as I prepared for her response.

"What?  What
happened?"

"It doesn't
matter," I say, embarrassed to admit to the actual circumstances of having
my boyfriend using me as a poker chip.  "It's been a long time coming.  I
mean, I knew it wasn't going to last Evelyn, I just didn't think it was going
to blow up here."

"Oh Lila, I'm so
sorry.  Is there anything I can do?  Maybe I can talk to him?"  Although
Evelyn and Harrison have remained friends while we've dated, they aren't that close. 
I'm hoping that means things won't be too awkward now.  After all, Evelyn and I
have been friends a lot longer than she's known Harry.

"No, definitely
not.  There's nothing for him to say.  It's really over, Evelyn."

"Wow, okay.  Wait...
you're single now and you're in the hotel room of Chase Anderson?  Spill,
girl!  I need details here."

I try to hold back a
laugh at Evelyn's eagerness for details, but I don't want her to read too much
into it.  "Nothing.  I just couldn't go back to the room with Harry last
night-"

"Hold on, you spent
the night there?  With Chase?"

"It's not what it
sounds like," I protest.  Well, it is actually, but as I expect to end
things with him today, I don't want my friend to get her hopes up.  "Look,
I'll tell you all about it when I get home on Monday, okay?  I need to get
showered and figure out what I'm going to do with myself for the next couple of
days."

"You better.  You
don't just drop a bomb like you spent the night in Chase Anderson's hotel and
then leave it at that..."

"I know, I'm sorry,
but I really need to get out of here.  We'll talk soon."

I feel a bit guilty about
lying to Evelyn.  She and I have been best friends since high school but I
really did need to hurry.  Chase was going to be back in a little over an hour
and I really don't want to be here when he returns.  It's time for me to get
out of here and find another hotel.  I remember seeing some cheap ones off of
the main strip when we were looking to book our vacation, but Harrison had
nixed them all because they were too far from the poker games he wanted to
play.  At least that means they'd probably be the last place he'd want to come
looking for me.

I took a shower that
ended up being longer than planned.  Showers have always been my weakness, and
are usually where I do a lot of my thinking.  Something about the hot water
pounding down across my head and shoulders as the sound of it hitting the walls
and floor of the tub fills my ears just relaxes me.  It lets my mind wander
free. 

In this case, my thoughts
lead me to a plan where I wait until evening when Harrison is likely back at
the poker tables and then call the room.  If he answers I hang up, but if he
doesn't then I go up and collect all of my stuff.  Move everything out without
having to see him again and before checkout time when who knows what will
happen to it all.

Of course, I didn't spend
the whole shower thinking about Harrison.  I spent a lot of time thinking about
Chase as well.  From what I'd read on the web, confirmed with additional
details from Evelyn, this guy was the real deal.  Not at all like Harrison as I
first suspected.  Apparently this guy takes gambling to another level.  Perhaps
there is some truth after all to his argument about what he does being more
about skill than gambling.  On some level, I'm beginning to wish I had met him
under different circumstances.  Maybe we could have been more than just a one
night stand.  Then again, I can't imagine any other circumstances where our
paths would ever cross.

I stop the shower and
step out, wrapping a clean towel around my body.  I'm not at all looking
forward to wearing my dirty clothes from last night again, but at least I now
have a plan to get the rest of my stuff back.  I won't have to be in them for
long.

My phone says that it's
already after one, but I still figure I have enough time to clear out of here
before Chase gets back.  Which is why I let out a surprised yelp when I see him
sitting on a chair in the bedroom waiting for me.

"I thought you
weren't coming back until two?"

"My mind wasn't on
the game, I'm out early," he says, standing and flashing a smile that
explains what his mind had been on instead as his eyes rove over the towel I
have wrapped around me. 

"Chase," I
begin, meaning to explain that I need to leave, that this whole thing can't
continue as much as I'm now wishing it could.

A knock at the door stops
me.

"I got you
something," he says as he disappears into the other room.  I hear the door
open and some quiet voices before he returns holding a garment bag in one hand
and pulling the zipper open with his other.

The bag falls open and I
take a sharp breath at the beautiful black dress it reveals.  "It's
gorgeous."

"I saw it on my way
back from the casino and knew you would look stunning in it.  Let's go out to a
club tonight.  You can wear this, I know the rest of your stuff is still back
at your hotel."

I'm still staring at the
dress.  I can tell it's a designer outfit that I would never be able to afford
on my own.  I open my mouth to protest, but he steps forward, pressing his
fingers against my lips.

"Say yes, Lila. 
Just say yes."

His shockingly blue eyes
are pressing into me, I can almost feel their weight and force of will.  It's
so hard to say no to those eyes.  Besides, where else do I have to go?  The
plan I had to get my stuff back was mostly born from my desire to not have to
put back on yesterday's outfit.  Now I have something else to take its place. 
At least for later.  Until then, I have a feeling I won't need any clothes anyway. 

Besides, just because I
stay one more night doesn't mean anything.  My flight leaves Monday regardless.

"Yes."  The
word falls from my lips at the exact same moment that I let my towel hit the
floor.