AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ever consider mixing that up a bit? You know, playing it a bit different?” I bring the flower to my lips, kiss it, and tuck it behind his ear.
He coughs and blood floods his cheeks. He looks healthier already.
“Yes,” he says.
“Good.” I give voice to the words that have been bumping around my brain since the last time we parted. “Want company?”
***
9
Sugar Grove
SUGAR GROVE
“Of course, I want your company.” He trails a finger across my face, my lips. “I’d be a fool not to want your company. But I can’t pay Ma Maison any more than I already have.”
“Happy to say I don’t care. Besides, it’s not like Ma Maison owns me.”
“You sure you want to do this?” His eyes sweep over me.
My heart bangs on my chest with a resounding thump-thump and the V between my legs throbs. “I’m very sure.”
“What if I told you I wasn’t staying at this gorgeous hotel?”
I glance up at Schillinger Batavia Estate’s main lodge. Posh. Beautiful. The epitome of country club casual. Yet I get a feeling what Dylan’s offering might be even more refreshing. “I’m not interested in the gorgeous hotel. I’m interested in the gorgeous man standing next to me.”
He’s booked a room at an impossibly kitschy lodge twenty minutes away on the outskirts of a small town. “It’s not a roach motel but it’s not my usual 5 star gig,” Dylan says, pushing open the door to the tiny wood-paneled lobby that looks like we time traveled to the seventies. Travel posters of Greece beaches, Italian food, and Roman ruins line the walls.
“It’s adorable,” I say and walk inside as he follows.
“Visiting on business or pleasure?” the middle-aged female motel manager asks, running his credit card, curiosity hanging thick and heavy on her plump cheeks just like her rouge.
“Business,” Dylan says staring at the credit card machine, blinking when it flashes ‘Approved.’
“Pleasure,” I say, taking his hand, squeezing it. “Right honey? You always have business but you promised me some fun this trip. It can’t always be about work, you know.”
“Yes… honey.” He plays along, leans in, plants a soft kiss on my lips, and I startle. “What is this foreign word ‘fun’?”
“Um…” A rainbow of tourist brochures in a metal stand against the wall spark an idea. I focus my attention on the manager. “My first time to Sugar Grove. I hear there’s a lot of fun things to do around here. Outdoor things. What do you recommend, Ma'am?”
Her eyes light up. “Oh, there’s so much. Kane County Flea Market. Check out the Fox River bike path. We’ve got gambling at the casino. That’s not outside but it’s legal.”
“Gambling!” I tug on Dylan’s arm. “You’ve always wanted to try gambling.”
“Nope. I’m a church goer. Whatever gave you that idea?” He kisses me again, teeth grazing my lower lip for a longer second.
I blush and smooth a hand over my hair. “I could swear you mentioned it recently. What else do people do around here for fun?”
“The game. You don’t want to miss the game. The Kane County Cougars are playing the Wisconsin Timber Raccoons tomorrow night at Northwestern Medicine Field. It’s the best of minor league baseball.”
“Thanks.” I squeeze Dylan’s muscular shoulder and his eyes light up. “Do you want to go to the casino? We could play the slots. Try our hand at blackjack. Poker --”
“There are sharks at those places. Besides, who can trust a gambler?” He brushes strands of hair off my face, his breath warm on my face. “Shady characters. Total players.”
“I met a gambler recently.” I shake my head. “He was sexy. Seemed nice, too.”
“Really?” He asks quirking a chestnut eyebrow.
