Vegas, Baby: The Complete Series by Fiona Davenport

3

Knox

Addilyn took her sweet time picking something to change into. The first outfit she considered wasn’t much better than the scrap of clothing she’d worn during her performance. I muttered an oath under my breath, and her brown eyes held a hint of mirth when she turned to look over her shoulder at me. Her plump lips curved up in a small grin before she let the hanger drop and grabbed one with a wine-red outfit on it instead. This one had more material, which was a damn good thing since I was already sick and tired of seeing the lust in other men’s eyes as they looked at her. I understood their reactions since her brand of sexy packed one hell of a punch, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t beat the shit out of someone if they gave in to the temptation Addilyn presented and tried to do more than look.

She cleared her throat, and I slowly lifted my gaze from her ass to her face. I didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed to have been caught staring at her lush curves, and I winked to let her know it. Addilyn blushed as she said, “I’m going to need some privacy to change.”

“Sure thing, baby.” I turned to face away from her, smiling at the sound of her deep sigh. If she had asked me to leave the room, I would’ve stepped outside and stood in front of the door without question. Since I didn’t want to leave her and she hadn’t actually asked, I stayed right where I was instead. But fuck, it was hard to keep facing the wall when I heard the soft whoosh of the scrap of material she called a dress hitting the floor. My dick flexed against my zipper as I clenched my fists at my sides. It was going to be damn difficult to wait to get my hands on her curvy body with how badly I wanted her already.

Luckily for me, it only took her a minute or two to change into her new outfit. “All done.”

When I turned, she was covered from her neck to her ankles with strappy silver heels on her feet and her arms bare. She still looked hot as fuck, though. Then again, I was willing to bet that she could put on a burlap sack and still be sexy. “You look great.”

“I’m glad you approve,” she purred with a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes. After I opened the door and she walked past me, I understood the reason behind that gleam. The back of her top dipped almost all the way to the curve of her ass.

“Fuck,” I rumbled as I followed Addilyn, moving to her side to place my hand on her lower back. Goose bumps popped up beneath my palm, and I chuckled in satisfaction.

“I might’ve made a teensy miscalculation when picking this out,” she mumbled with a shiver.

I stroked my thumb across her soft skin and grinned down at her. “One that I’m quickly realizing the advantage to.”

She narrowed her eyes at me before shaking her head and laughing. “Didn’t you say something about taking me out to celebrate?”

“I sure did.” Keeping my hand on her back, I guided Addilyn down the hallway, through the club, and onto the casino floor. I glared at a few guys as they stared at Addilyn while we walked past the blackjack and roulette tables. Each of them dropped their gazes when they spotted me next to her, but by the time we reached the steakhouse that had opened a month earlier, I had closed the gap between our bodies until maybe an inch separated us. The celebrity chef and modern décor pulled in crowds, and the waiting list for a table was about three weeks long. One of the benefits of my position was that I was able to use Drew’s table whenever I wanted. It was my favorite place in the hotel, making it an easy choice for where to take Addilyn. She deserved the best, and I was determined to give it to her.

“Mr. Dawson.” The hostess grabbed two leather-bound menus when she spotted me, and she trailed us as I led Addilyn to the booth in the far-left corner of the restaurant. When I started to slide in on the same side as she had, Addilyn scooted over. I didn’t let her get too far, lacing our fingers together as I looked up at the hostess. “Would you like your usual? Slaughter House neat?”

“Yes, and a bottle of champagne from Drew’s stash,” I requested before turning to Addilyn. “Is there anything else you’d like to drink?”

She smiled up at the hostess. “I’d appreciate the biggest glass of ice water you can bring me.”

“Not a big drinker?” I asked when we were alone again.

“Staying hydrated is vital for singers,” she explained with a smile. “And I know better than to mix champagne with another kind of liquor. I’d probably end up kneeling in front of the toilet for hours on end, and that’s not how I want to spend the rest of my night.”

I could too easily picture her kneeling all night, but in front of me instead. Stretching my legs out, I shifted my hips to alleviate some of the pressure against my cock. My suit pants were tailored to fit me, but they’d never been tested when I was rock hard like I was right then.

Addilyn’s gaze dropped to my lap, her brown eyes widening when she saw the outline of my dick pressed against the dark material. Her plump lips parted on a gasp, and I was in the middle of lowering my head to brush my mouth against hers when I heard someone clearing their throat directly to my left. A deep growl rumbled up my chest before I pulled away from Addilyn to look at the waitress. With an apologetic smile, she hurriedly set the water and whiskey on the table before pouring two glasses of champagne.

“Would you like to order anything to eat, Mr. Dawson?” the waitress asked.

“Not for me.” I turned to Addilyn, who had already snagged one of the glasses of champagne and gulped it down. “Are you hungry, baby?”

“Nope, I’m good.” She shook her head and swapped her empty champagne glass with my full one. After the waitress walked away, she tilted her head to the side and blinked up at me. “Why do I feel like I should know who you are?”

I smiled and shook my head. “I’m not famous.”

“Then what’s up with all the fawning?” She waved her hand around in a small circle. “And how come nobody freaked out when you helped yourself to this primo table?”

I chuckled and took a sip of my whiskey before answering. “I’m the head of security for the Lennox.”

“Ohhhhhh.” Her plump lips formed a perfect circle, and an image of them wrapped around my cock popped into my head. “So you’re kind of a big deal around here?”

“I have a certain degree of power,” I conceded with a slight nod. “And all of Drew’s employees know it.”

Her dark eyes shone with humor as she sipped her champagne. When the glass was half empty, she set it back down and grinned at me. “It’s a good thing I have an iron-clad contract then. I’d hate for there to be an imbalance of power between us.”

I stroked my knuckles against her cheek, thinking about her irresistible pull. She had no idea the degree of power she had over me. “I gave Drew shit when he finally told me about the offer he made you because it went against all the security protocols I have in place. Then I saw you up on that stage, heard your incredible voice, and realized that I owe him one hell of a thank you for doing whatever it took to keep you in Vegas.”

“Do me a favor and tell my parents that sometime,” she sighed, finishing off her second glass of champagne before taking a sip of her water.

“Will do,” I promised, sliding my arm over her shoulders. I had no doubt that I’d meet her parents at some point, and I was more than willing to let them know how happy I was to have met their daughter. Although they would probably figure it out themselves, considering the place she was going to have in my life.

As she explained how they’d urged her to see the world before settling down, I poured her another glass of champagne and asked some questions about the places she’d be interested in visiting. There wasn’t a chance in hell she’d be going without me, though. The settling down ship had already sailed when we met because she’d found her man.

“I know they love me, but sometimes I feel as though they don’t truly know me.” She grabbed the champagne bottle and emptied the rest of it into her glass, before leaning into my side.

The waitress was approaching our table but switched directions when I looked up and shook my head because I didn’t want anyone to interrupt our privacy while Addilyn was opening up to me. “How so?”

“I love to sing, but making it big isn’t important to me.” She gulped down the rest of the champagne and set the empty glass on the table with a sigh. “Family is what matters.”

“Family is everything,” I agreed, happy as fuck to know she felt that way.

She jerked up and twisted her body to stare at me. “I have the best idea for what we should do next!”

“Whatever you want, baby. I’ll make it happen.” What she said next was definitely the last thing I expected to hear only hours after we’d met.