Working in Los Angeles, amongst all the high-powered assholes, was enough to make anyone go nuts. Climbing her way to the top as an executive secretary for a CEO at a real estate company came with a certain amount of privilege and power but also long hours and very few rewards.
A few days away from everything was just what she needed. Taking time from the pressure of being the perfect businesswoman, along with the perfect daughter, perfect ex-girlfriend and all the other perfect molds people had pushed her into.
Throwing caution to the wind wasn’t in her nature. Neither was a trip to Nevada. She knew how hard it was to earn money and gambling, in her mind, was throwing it away.
But she’d earned this trip. It was planned and paid for way in advance. If Brad had still been in the picture they would have been here together, but he messed things up, not her. He was the one caught with his pants down around his ankles. He was the one caught getting a blowjob from the new temp at his office. He was the one fired for the incident, and the one now living with the guy who had blown him.
If anything, it freed her from the confinement of a relationship. Now she could do whatever she wanted with whomever she wanted. But over the last six months she hadn’t had any real dates. There was a plentiful amount of frogs around, but the phone wasn’t ringing with Prince Charming calling. She’d finally admitted to being a lonely thirty-year-old woman without a meaningful relationship in her life.
So she’d saved enough money for a good time and, dammit, she promised herself she was going to cut loose a little.
Arriving at the timeshare, she unlocked the door, finding to her delight that it was a really nice place. The fireplace was perfect for a book and hot chocolate, and there was lots of room. There were two bedrooms, which was pretty much standard for rentals and timeshares. She dragged her luggage into the master bedroom and saw her oasis, a large Jacuzzi-style tub. She smiled. I have a date with that place and a bottle of wine when I come back.
She unpacked her bag, putting some things in the dresser by the bed and hanging other things in the closet. Janice was well rehearsed in packing for a trip and knew what to bring. Her needs were organized in her bag like a high-end clothing store. Tucked away in a side pocket was her favorite vibrator—she’d named it Earl—some naughty panties and a peek-a-boo bra, some K-Y Jelly and some really steamy romance novels. If she wasn’t getting laid she was damn well going to get off and relieve some tension.
Smiling at herself in the mirror after unpacking, she hoped she looked like success personified. She loosened her long dark hair and let it fall straight down her back. She still had some nice curves and carried herself with a lot of confidence. Yeah, she’d do.
The number to a local cab company was stuck on the refrigerator door, so she called for a ride and tucked the condo keys in her purse. As she went to leave she took a quick look around. It was a bit much for one person but, fuck it, she thought, I deserve it.
It was a beautiful night with a clear sky, and she could see thousands of stars glistening in the beautiful darkened abyss above her. Breathing in the cool air made her feel refreshed, and she realized that the city wasn’t the greatest place to take a deep breath. Unless smog and exhaust fumes were a good substitute for fresh air.
Janice realized they weren’t. She smiled, breathed again and headed toward the cab for her first night of adventure.
Chapter Two
Aaron’s internal alarm clock rang as the sun rose, waking him up. He was in his own bed, but his neck was sore from sleeping in an awkward position and having those damn designer pillows surrounding him.
Why he got up at seven o’clock every morning was a mystery, but it might have had something to do with playing football his whole younger life and being on that schedule. He sat up in bed and caught a whiff of his morning breath. He blinked, and his eyes glazed over.
Note to self, get breath mints…extra long-lasting flavor.
First thing was the workout he designed to keep him in shape. Three hundred sit-ups to keep the six-pack from turning into an overfull keg. Six sets of twenty-five pull-ups and six sets of forty push-ups for toning his arms. The routine was embedded into his brain, same thing every morning.
The long, hot shower eased the tensions of his muscles as the water cascaded over him. He rubbed the soap across the ripples of his chest as he cooled down and took deep cleansing breaths. He liked taking showers. They were therapeutic, refreshing him and cleaning away the previous night’s scent and funk.
It was also the best place to sing old Elvis songs.
Aaron wasn’t what most people would call a talented singer. In fact some would call him atrocious. Dogs and other animals would have scurried away from the demonic screeching echoing through the bathroom.
He dried himself off and realized how set in his daily routines he’d become. How his life was following the same path most every day. It wasn’t bad, by any means. Some guys would sell their left nut for it. But more often than not, Aaron didn’t find himself looking forward to his day.
That thought was still rattling around in his head when he met Mother a little later.
“Aaron, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, Mother, just thinking.”
The woman walked over and stroked the hair on the back of his head. “You can tell me, sweetheart, you know that. I don’t want you flustered when you go out to work tonight.”
“No, I’m fine. I don’t want to bother you with things.”
Aaron’s head was still dealing with all kinds of thoughts. He wasn’t getting any younger and maybe it was the male biological clock catching up to him, making his stomach uneasy. Or it could have been the triple bean and cheddar cheese nachos with a jumbo Dr. Pepper he’d had earlier that made his stomach ache. Still something was bothering him.
For most men the life he led was a fantasy. Beautiful women, money, parties, sex for hire, it was almost a dream for some. The harsh reality however, was that it went from a cool lifestyle to no more than a job. All too soon there were necessary mental preparations to punch a clock. To take all emotions out and handle people as simple commodities.
Aaron was getting to a point where he was growing tired of the day-to-day grind. Of course he loved the grinding parts. Some women would make him feel almost god-like in their praise, and they would thank him for releasing so many things that had been pent up inside them.
Remembering a few of the wilder times made him smile. He also adjusted his pants because thinking about his own fantasies coming to life stirred his loins. The weekend with the Thompson triplets and their dwarf maid all having sex in the magic Jell-O filled Jacuzzi was one for the record books.