"I still don't believe you did that!" Kendall laughingly exclaimed as they entered the penthouse. The sun was shining through the windows and they had been gone since the night before. Sometime during their sojourn in the casino, housekeeping had cleaned and straightened the room for them… and the table was set with breakfast.
"When did you have time to order this food?" she asked in wonder before returning to hold the door as Zach hauled in a cart filled with buckets of chips.
Zach's eyes danced as he answered, "Last night while you were in the tub… alone… which by the way will not be repeated for the duration of our stay." He lifted her into his arms and twirled her about before allowing her feet to touch the floor once again.
She fairly danced over to the breakfast table, uncovering dishes and inhaling the delicious aromas, "This is good… this is very good. You are following through on the spoiling… you have an excellent memory."
Zach came up behind her and grabbed some fruit that he offered her and she willingly opened her mouth to receive. He then followed it with a kiss before pulling out a chair for her to be seated. They sat and ate their breakfast in silence for a few minutes until Kendall began to giggle again. Zach looked at her and smiled, that infectious giggle had accompanied them everywhere… and the fact that he enjoyed the sound surprised him. He looked at her and as soon as their eyes met Kendall's giggle turned into full-blown laughter that was joined wholeheartedly by husband's deep chuckle.
"I suggest we take a shower… or a bath… and then get some sleep," he commented after they caught their breath.
She nodded and swallowed before answering, "Sounds good to me… but what do we do with all of that." Her hand indicated the cart containing the many chips Zach had won the previous evening. Kendall had so enjoyed collecting them that he had insisted on returning to the room with them instead of cashing them in. He hadn't had so successful a night in years… although he was loathe at calling her his good luck charm, he certainly felt like the tables had finally turned in his favor after a long spell of bad luck.
"Kendall… can we be serious for a minute?" he asked almost diffidently. At her nod, he continued. "We need to get some… uh… rest… but I'd like to take you to see The Seasons today and meet the staff. My attorneys have been standing by to file the final paperwork for your gaming licenses, but there are some forms you need to sign. I need to ask…"
She looked at him in concern as he paused, "What is it Zach? I don't mind taking care of some business today… it would be silly to make a special trip out here later when we can take care of it now. Unlike some people… I rather enjoy mixing business and pleasure."
"No, that's not it… we never discussed…" he paused again. At a confused look from her he finished, "… your name. I need to tell the attorneys what name you're going to use."
She smiled, touched that he was so sensitive to the fact that she might choose to retain her maiden name. "If I choose to use Slater will that be legal? I mean you lost your licenses because of it… I don't want to cause that to happen."
"My name is legally Zach Slater. Once the secret of my true identity was revealed, there was no obstacle to formalizing it," he answered her quietly.
"In that case, please ask them to use the name Kendall Hart Slater… no hyphen," she answered firmly.
"Are you certain you want to do that? I doubt that your chosen last name would affect your little… um… scheme," he answered with a smile.
"I'm sure… I like the sound of Kendall Slater… and I like the sound of Mrs. Slater even more. Your poker buddies were very attentive… and I loved every minute of it," she said.
He grinned, "I noticed that… and I'm sure that I have you to thank for our winnings, Mrs. Slater."
"Oh… I don't know about that," she smiled. "But you did seem to be enjoying the effect… perhaps we should tag team more often."
"And that will most definitely be happening… there are a few other casinos I'd like to visit while you're here… let you get a feel for the atmosphere. The Bellagio is wonderful… but The Seasons has its own personality, and you'll want to feel comfortable with it."
"Now I said I didn't mind mixing business and pleasure… but this is still our honeymoon. I hope it isn't going to be all business," she answered with a mock frown.
"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for… pleasure," he answered as he rose and stood behind her. Before she could turn to see what he was doing, he had leaned over and began caressing her neck with his lips. She lifted her chin and lost herself in the pleasure of his hands and lips as they began to work their magic on her. After a few minutes, he carried her to the bedroom where they made love and fell asleep with the sun streaming into the windows.
Kendall stirred in the bed and reached for Zach, but only found an empty pillow. She called out softly, "Zach?" before noticing the sound of the shower. She lay still and listened to the running water while she reflected on the events of the past few days… warmth suffusing her skin as she recalled how well and how often Zach had loved her body. She wrapped her arms around herself before rising from the bed and entering the bathroom to disturb his shower…
"You're insatiable," he told her later as she sat watching him shave. "I think I need to go back to Pine Valley for a rest… which reminds me… what do we do about the condos? We never had much chance to discuss these things…"
"Oh… we'll worry about the condos on the flight home. Right now, I'm more interested in what we'll be doing while we're here… and what the reaction has been to our news back home. I'm sure Marion's had a chance to spread the word by now," she answered with a giggle as he placed a dollop of shaving cream on her nose.
He laughed back, "Well… I suggest you make that call to Erica that you've been avoiding. Unless you really do want her to send someone to retrieve you… I wouldn't put it past her to send Lavery on another intervention."
"Oh, no! You're absolutely right… I've got to call Mother," she exclaimed. "With everything that's happened… she completely slipped my mind."
Zach laughed, "Thank you… I'm glad that I could oblige."
Without answering, Kendall slipped into the bedroom and began dialing her mother's cell phone. She realized that she probably had several hundred messages from Erica, Greenlee and any number of others in trying to stop her from marrying Zach… and to be fair, they were probably worried, too… after all, she had disappeared more than three days earlier without contacting anyone.
Zach entered the room and began to dress in another of his well-tailored suits and observed her concerned expression as she hung up the phone without leaving a message, "I had one of my people speak with Erica the other day… she may believe that I've kidnapped you, but she knows that you're …relatively safe. Although I almost hate to admit it, your little ruse with Stuart might be the only reason we haven't already been disturbed by the police."
"Thanks… I think. I had a special message from Mother… 'Kendall, if you're listening, please speak with me before you do anything so foolish as to marry Zach Slater.' Too late, mother…" she repeated with a laugh.
Zach laughed with her for a moment until he realized that she was using it to disguise the fear and insecurity she felt in making the phone call announcing their wedding. He sat next to her on the bed and pulled her close, "Come on, now… if you can't face this phone call we'll never be able to pull off that little game of love. I can't do this by myself, you know."
Her face lit with a huge smile as she realized he had just agreed to her ruse, "You mean it? You'll help me to make them believe we're in love?"
He nodded his head, "It appears that I have no choice… and it may work to our advantage in the long run."
Without another word, she threw her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses. After a moment he pulled her close and kissed her soundly before handing her the telephone and saying with a dark look, "Dial!"
She giggled and dialed her mother's penthouse while he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He was very quiet while she listened to the ringing. When no one picked up, the call went to the answering machine and Kendall rolled her eyes at another personal message that had replaced the normal greeting. Once the tone indicated she could leave a message she said, "Hello, Mother… It's Kendall. I just wanted to let you know that I'm safe and… and very happy, Mother. Zach and I were married yesterday…"
Zach laughed into the phone, "Hi Mom!"
"… and we'll be gone for a few more days on our honeymoon," Kendall finished with a laugh at the interruption. Her mother was going to completely lose it. She finished quickly, "If you're interested in details, you might try Marion Chandler… bye!" With that parting comment she disconnected the phone before turning to face Zach.
He looked at her with a frown and shook his head, but his serious manner was completely unconvincing as laughter played about his mouth and twinkled in his eyes. He could control it for only a moment before laughing heartily, "I can see Erica now… and it's not a pretty sight!"
Kendall and Zach laughed for a moment longer before getting ready for their meeting with the attorneys. Once he finished dressing, Zach lounged on the bed and watched Kendall as she added jewelry to her ensemble, marveling at how much he was enjoying this new business arrangement. She turned to find him observing her with an unreadable expression and looked puzzled before he opened his arms and she entered them without hesitation. Although the kiss he gave her was quite sensuous, it was more a promise for later than anything to be acted on at the moment. Soon they left the penthouse with their cart full of chips, and made a stop by the casino to cash them in before departing for The Seasons.