OMG this was brutal! Sorry, I know its been a while, but I just couldn't seem to get this one together. Hope it came out okay. Also, It was great to meet so many of you at DragonCon and I appreciate you all so very much. Finally, Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes and well wishes when I've been down. Faemily rocks!
Chapter 18
L.A. traffic was a disaster and it wasn't even rush hour. I had always loved big cities, but I could never live here. How much of your life would be wasted sitting in traffic everyday? Weeks probably, if you did it five days a week for twenty years. That just wasn't for me and judging by the stern frown, twitchy lips and burgundy nails that were digging deep into the leather steering wheel, Bo wasn't enjoying this part of her trip down memory lane either.
There were so many things we could be doing and they were all appealing, but I was really excited about taking this tour of Bo's past. How very appropriate that we would drive her first Aston Martin to the first hotel she ever bought. She was opening up, we both were, yet a visit to her old stomping grounds was a surprising suggestion from her. For some reason I figured she'd avoid it as long as possible since she was less than proud of her time here. It was funny how we'd been together all these months and got along famously, yet we'd managed to sidestep sharing much of the history that made us who we were; those little adventures, good and bad, that made for interesting stories and character development. There were many to be sure, because Bo and I were definitely interesting characters. She never ceased to amaze me and the way she was so willing to evolve was enviable. That was something I never did... until I met Bo. I was staunchly set in my ways and saw no reason to change despite anyone's input. But then, Bo walked in, to the beat of her own drummer I might add, and that was one of the sexiest things about her.
My intense staring finally got to Bo as she gave me the old side-eye and quirked her lip. "What?"
"Nothing." I shrugged and looked away, turning my attention to less beautiful things out my side window.
"Then why are you staring?"
"When am I not staring?" My focus darted back to her, a seductive grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. "You're gorgeous."
Her head fell back against the seat as she chuckled with amusement. "And you're avoiding, but I like the way you're doing it." She turned her full attention to me as we waited for the light to change again. "I'm sorry its taking so long. We're almost there. I promise."
"Its fine, Bo." I reached across the console for my hand to find its happy place on her thigh. "We're together."
"Yeah. I like that part too, but this traffic is so freaking miserable. I'm so glad I don't live here anymore."
"Did you have to drive to work when you were here?"
"I did for a while, but then I just took a room at the hotel during the week. I couldn't deal with all the wasted time when I went into business mode. Funny how I never gave it a thought when I had nothing else to do," she mused, her gaze falling off into the distance.
I smiled and turned back to the road ahead, taking in the many lanes of slow moving traffic and skyline below the line of haze as we crept closer too our destination.
XXX
Forty-five more minutes ticked by before we finally turned into the hotel drive. It was a typical towering skyscraper-esq hotel that lined this area of L.A. with plenty of glass for views of the city and dozens of hotel staff dressed to perfection in red uniforms the way you would see in an old movie. The valet even wore the little round hats that reminded me of an old resort my parents used to take us to in upstate New York when I was a teen. The valets worked each side of the drive with enough of them to handle each door that housed a passenger for each car that pulled up and a line of runners to deliver the fancy cars to the garage. At the giant revolving doors there were more staff to assist your every need and a large, muscled security guard on either end where the robust, red brick pillars stood.
My attention was drawn to a herd of people rushing a young man. Dozens of flashes went off and shoving ensued as a barely legal, teen sensation of the week with stupid hair and a giant posse of thugs pushed toward an overly shiny and expensive car he had no business driving. It was madness. You hear about these things and see it on tv, but to see it in person was different. There was almost an air of violence to it. Was this what Bo had to endure when she was here? How often did it happen? No wonder she dreaded it so much. This was way beyond anything in Seattle or Vegas.
Bo muttered under her breath and waved the nearest valet forward. "I don't want to wait," she grumbled and started grabbing her things. "Let's go in while they're distracted with that little flavor of the week."
"Whatever you're most comfortable with, Bo." I unbuckled myself and waited for her cue.
She opened her door as the young man reached the front of the car, catching him off guard. He rushed forward with a worried expression on his face. "Ma'am? It will just be another moment. Please-"
"Yes, I know. I'm sorry..." she looked down at his name badge, "Robert. You see, I own this hotel and if you wouldn't mind taking my car, we'd like to get inside unseen."
"Oh...um... certainly Ms. Dennis." He stammered and stood a little straighter before moving out of her way. "Sorry, I uh...I didn't recognize you."
"Don't worry about it. I haven't exactly been around." Bo offered him a smile and pressed some cash into his hand. Without another word she strode around the front of the car with her shades on and her head down, making a beeline for my door. She swung it open, causing two more valets to rush over in a panic until Robert waved them off.
Bo offered her hand with a sexy smile. It was a sweet gesture that had me grinning wide in return as I accepted, slipping my hand into hers to be helped from the car. Hand in hand we made our way toward the entrance. Just when Bo had let out a breath in relief, a young man exiting the hotel with a camera made us and headed our way with excitement gleaming in his eyes.
"Shit," Bo spat under her breath.
My fingers tightened around her own in support.
The tall, athletic young man with perfectly styled wavy, blond hair who looked every bit like an Abercrombie model slowed his approach and smiled. "Ms. Dennis, would you mind if a took a couple of photos?"
Bo put on a smile and tugged me closer as we continued to press forward. I smiled as well, whispering that photos were fine with me.
"Sure." She smiled, but gritted her teeth. I could almost hear them cracking under the force. "But we're in a bit of a hurry," she added.
"No problem. I won't hold you up. Thank you." He snapped a few in silence as we walked by. "You look happy," he said out of the blue.
"I am," she answered without delay. "Very happy." She reaffirmed with a smile and a glance thrown my way that made my heart skip.
"And who is this with you today?" He never looked up from the camera, continuing to snap at a rapid pace.
"I believe she can speak for herself," Bo replied, though not harshly.
The young man blushed and lowered his camera. "Of course. I'm sorry, Miss...?"
I laughed at his manners. The politeness was almost too much considering his job and the hoard of his colleagues that were pushing and shoving over another story just fifty feet behind him. "Lauren. My name is Lauren."
Bo smirked and I smiled. He was definitely not what I was expecting. Bo slowed our steps to a halt and turned around. "What's your name?"
"Scotty." He stopped taking pictures with a look of alarm, but forced a smile.
"Nice to meet you Scotty. How come you're not taking pictures of Johnny Q? He's all the rage nowadays. I'm sure he's a much bigger story."
"Oh uh..I already did. He lets me get them first before he leaves the building. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
Bo laughed again and I had to wonder what was on her mind. "Are you a paparrazi? You're far too polite."
"Yeah, I don't see the need to be rude." He glanced over his shoulder and then back at us.
Bo shook her head like a mother teaching a lesson. "You won't make it long if you're not one of the sharks."
Scotty shrugged. "Well, its worked so far. Johnny, Justin and Taylor all give me first dibs, because I'm not like the others. Plus, I only sell my work to two writers that try to keep the stories from getting skewed."
That bit of information made Bo's eyes light up with intrigue. "Is that so?"
"Mhm." He smiled proudly.
Bo released my hand and reached for Scotty's. "Nice to meet you, Scotty."
He was taken by surprise, probably bracing for the infamous Bo Dennis wrath, but it never came.
"Allow me to make a formal introduction, I'm Bo Dennis and this is my girlfriend, Lauren Lewis. We're just visiting. I was just showing her where it all started for me."
"Hi Bo," he replied nervously. "Nice to meet you Lauren," he shook my hand as well. "Scotty Bryant. And if I may add, you're not what I was expecting," he admitted rather shyly.
"We can say the same for you," I shot back, drawing a comfortable chuckle from all three of us.
"Well, I guess we all have reputations, right," Bo added casually.
"True." he nodded. "May I ask what's brought on the big change?" He was growing bolder, but in no way gave off a vibe of being harsh?
"Well," Bo started as she wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me close. "I finally had a reason to grow up. Now I'm sorry, but we really must get going before the vultures notice, but how about one more picture for the road?"
"Absolutely, Bo!"
Her arm tightened around my waist and her giant smile shone like the sun, which I matched in an instant. Seeing her happy and carefree made me happier than I imagined it would. Scotty took a quick couple of pictures and then thanked us for our time and wished us a great trip. Before we left, Bo pulled out a card and handed it to him, asking him to please send her a copy of the photos and adding that if he grew tired of his current job that she could use a publicity photographer in Las Vegas, which earned her a shining smile and much appreciation.
We reached the giant revolving door and Bo whispered, "That Scotty paparazzi was a sweetheart. Why can't they all be like that?" She led me through as she added, "We'll find out tomorrow if it was all a crock of shit."
I laughed and followed her through. I started to reply, but was immediately overwhelmed by a tall, dark and handsome, though rather flamboyant, Hispanic man screeching, "O. M. G! Look what the devil dragged in. Cheyenne, look who it is." He shook the overly thin, red head beside him by the shoulders as he beamed at Bo.
She squeezed my hand and offered him a wide smile of her own. "Javier. I appreciate you keeping my hotel top notch. Hello Cheyenne." Bo gave her a nod.
"Nice to see you again, Bo," she returned rather coldly and I had to wonder what the history was there.
"Well you know," he shrugged, "I do what I can." His hazel eyes stood out against his complexion. They drifted from Bo and locked on me. "And who is this hot little lady? I thought you gave up on models?"
Oh boy. I fought the urge to roll my eyes since it wasn't spoken with the usual underlying tone of suck ass.
"This hot little lady is someone very special. Javier, Cheyenne, meet my girlfriend, Lauren Lewis."
Cheyenne's brows shot up. Given Bo's old antics, it was probably quite the surprise. I just smiled and accepted his outstretched hand. Cheyenne continued with the glare, never offering a greeting.
"Lauren, this is Javier Francisco, the manager of Hotel Bonneville and Cheyenne Martin, the assistant manager. They've both been with me from the start. Even before I started my own company, actually."
"Girl, don't get me started on the stories I could tell you...mhm. This one time-"
"Oh no you don't, Javier!" Bo shoved him playfully. "I'm trying to keep this one," Bo joked, but when she glanced up through her lashes, her beet red cheeks gave her away.
I'd read the stories online. I knew the reputation. None of that mattered to me. She wasn't that Bo Dennis anymore. Still, I loved to give her some shit when I got the chance and I'd definitely love to get some inside scoop from a friend.
"I don't know, I might like to hear about wild and crazy Bo Dennis." I nudged her in the side. "See if it matches what we did last night."
"Oh I like her!" He sided up to me, for some reason checking out my biceps and nodding in approval. "Beautiful and feisty. Wherever did you two meet?"
"In Vegas. I tried to buy a car from her and she told me to piss off," Bo's words carried through a laugh.
"So Bo used the old billionaire charm on you, huh?"
"I guess it worked." I nodded with a smile. "She was all I could think about from the second she stormed out with eyes blazing and left a trail of rubber in my dealership drive."
"Did you get the car? Bo always gets her car."
"One of them, but more importantly, I got the girl."
"Okay, this is sickening. I gotta..." Cheyenne trailed off as she grabbed her key ring and walked toward the elevators, bringing a laugh from Javier and Bo as if it was typical behavior for her.
I, on the other hand, found it odd and wondered what her deal was, but somehow I already had an idea. Bo had a long history with women, but none of that mattered to me now.
"So, what are you going to do while you're in town? I bet there's lots of people who'd like to see you," he wiggled his brows and did a little dance.
"No, no. I'm just wanting to enjoy some down time with Lauren. I was going to show her around and maybe have a drink on the roof top bar and hit some dinner at Tony's."
"Oh god, I love Tony's. Wish I could afford to eat there more often. He used to let me dine free as a perk for running the hotel until my ex showed up and pissed him off, accusing him of trying to get in my pants."
"Was he?"
"Please, you've seen that handsome hunk of man. If he really wanted me, I woulda kicked Renaldo to the curb and run off into the sunset. Or at least for a quickie." He nudged Bo in the ribs.
"Oh lord. Sorry, Lauren."
"Don't worry about me. I'm not here to judge, besides if this Tony is anything like a male equivalent of you, then I'd have to agree."
"See?"
"Please don't encourage him, Lauren."
"Wait," he practically screamed, his face overrun with excitement. "What are you two doing later tonight?"
Bo looked at me and I at her before she started to answer that we really hadn't made any plans, "We were going to-"
"You should come to the Z tonight," he gushed and slapped her on the shoulder. "Everyone will be there for DJ Blast's grand opening. He bought the club and you know he'd just die if he found out you were in town and didn't stop in."
"I'm sure, but we were just going to keep it casual tonight."
"Come on."
"Our clothes are in Malibu," Bo continued to protest.
"Puh-lease! You can hit Rodeo and buy anything you want and you own a hotel, hello? Shower, change, fit in a quickie, whatever you want before eleven."
I was enjoying the banter and seeing Bo all flustered from her friend's persistence at revisiting an old stomping ground.
Bo waved her hands, finally bringing the bouncing man to silence. "First, we'll think about it. Second," she smirked at me, "we only do marathons."
"Oh girl," Javier glanced between the two of us a few times and bit his lip. "Seeing the way you two look at one another, I can believe that. B.T.W., I am jealous."
With a roll of her eyes, Bo slipped her hand into the crook of my elbow and tugged me in the opposite direction of Javier. "Okay, we'll be going now."
"See you tonight," he waved and hopped in crazed excitement. "Everyone will be there. It's gonna be epic!"
Bo looked at me. I shrugged, then she shrugged and we made our way through the elegantly retro-styled halls of the hotel, ignoring his continued pleas to commit.
Once we were free of Javier, Bo's mood shifted. There was an uneasy silence between us for several minutes and I hated every second of it. Bo was lost in her own head and I was sure it had to do with revisiting her past. We strolled along the poolside bar next to the waterfall. Her discomfort was palpable. "Bo if you do or don't want to go tonight... I'm fine with whatever."
"I don't know Lauren. They weren't really friends... most of them."
"Okay, well, just know that I am happy with whatever you decide, but I'd really love to go shopping either way. I've never been down Rodeo."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean I drove through once when I was younger, but I'd kinda like to do some shopping now that I'm a big girl."
"With a big wallet," she added with a raised brow.
"Not as big as yours," I nudged her shoulder, "but yes."
"Then we shall shop. And eat, cause I'm starving."
"I can think of something I'd like to eat," I remarked with a growl.
"Oh really?" Bo bit her lip. Her fingers wrapped around my wrist and she yanked me flush against her body. "It just so happens I have a key to the penthouse. Javier did say we should squeeze in a quickie."
"It's been a while, but I bet we can figure out how to do one of those."
"Yeah, I mean it is good to shake things up right? Add some intervals training to our marathons." Bo laughed in the sexiest way imaginable.
"Definitely," I agreed with a wicked grin that spoke of how much I couldn't wait for our workout to begin.
Bo rushed us to the top floor and proceeded to show me around the suite that was always reserved for her. It was what you'd imagine any high dollar hotel room would be like for some one in her economic class; giant tv's, fancy furniture and panoramic views, but the only thing I paid any attention to was the way her fingers kept tracing circles on my wrist as she gave me the grand tour. Each pass gave me a shiver and the gleam in her eye as she knowingly took longer than necessary made me ache.
"Yup, its beautiful Bo." I really didn't give a shit at this point about seeing anything besides her with clothing half ripped open, breathless and screaming from my skilled fingers sending her exactly where I wanted her. Any surface of the immaculate room would do. Or all of them. Maybe there was a fifteen minute challenge in there somewhere...
When silence filled the room, I realized Bo was staring at me in wait of a response to something I hadn't heard a single word of. With nothing left to say, I let my fingers do the talking. I closed the space with one long stride and before Bo knew what hit her, the button of her pants was undone and she was on her back on the leather lounger. That was the one thing she had brought along from her Seattle home and its convenient placement made me glad she did. See? I did pay some attention to her tour, but now I had a tour of my own in mind.
Taking full advantage of her position. I quickly covered her body with mine and attacked her neck. Seemed a quickie was like riding a bike. My hands moved fast and with purpose, discarding her blouse in a flash and yanking her pants down to her ankles. Her eyes were dark as midnight and her full breasts adorned with black lace heaved as she watched my every move. She gasped when I pushed her thighs apart and screamed out in pleasure as I buried two fingers deep inside her. Foreplay be damned, but she didn't seem to mind. Bo was wet beyond belief and wasted no time meeting me thrust for thrust with her hips as she raced toward the finish line. The delicious sounds that emanated from her drove me crazy and I was hit with the deep, burning desire to make her scream loud enough for Javier to hear us in the lobby.
Considering we had almost never had sex lasting less than an hour, I had no problem being motivated to take her hard and fast, even if part of me would love nothing more than to lose myself in her for the rest of the day. In no time at all, Bo clenched around my fingers, letting out a scream of epic proportions as her orgasm ripped through her body. Part of me wanted to steal them, to hoard every little sound born from our act of love for myself, but the other part really did want everyone hear us. I wanted everyone to know that Bo Dennis was mine.
Slow and gentle I removed my fingers as she returned to consciousness. I couldn't resist a taste. As I sucked my fingers clean she caught me. Her eyes blazed with renewed vigor and I knew I was in for a ride of my own.
"Congratulations Lauren, you passed quickie 101." Her eyes sparkled and I braced myself for whatever came next. "Now its my turn."
XXX
We both passed in the quickie refresher course, but we couldn't resist round two. The first one was such a tease that there was no way either of us could go shopping with out satisfying our craving. All total though, we managed to finish in record time, which for us was about twenty minutes. With a quick freshen up, we made our way to Beverly Hills to hit the shops for a few hours.
Shopping on Rodeo with Bo was much like the movie "Pretty Woman." Our every whim was catered to with three helpers and a glass of the finest champagne. By the third store I was on my way to tipsy and had to cut back. Bo thought it was "adorable" and kept egging me on, but that's just because she was trying to get me to agree to another quickie in the dressing room. She thought I was too buzzed to catch on, but no such luck. I'd bought a couple of dresses, blouses and a few random other things and a pair of designer jeans that Bo noted would make it hard for her to keep her hands off of my ass. I couldn't wait to test that out.
All the teasing in the dressing rooms left us revved up for another round when we returned to the hotel, somewhere between deciding on the club and deciding what to wear to dinner. As we lay naked in bed with Bo coming down from her high and me resting on my elbows between her legs with a satisfied grin, I joked that I couldn't eat another bite, but the rumble of my stomach ruined the moment and sent us both into a fit of giggles.
So, dinner at Tony's it was. It was perfect and amazing and now here we were a little past midnight, leaning against the bar in the VIP section of Z bobbing our heads to the beat of DJ Blast while Javier and his new boyfriend, Louis, went on and on about the man candy in here. There were some good looking women as well, but my eyes always found there way back to Bo. There was simply no other woman that could compare and apparently, I wasn't the only one that thought that way.
Across the floor, a curvy blonde with crystal blue eyes and giant tits who vaguely resembled someone famous was visually devouring my girlfriend with zero shame. I was secure enough in our relationship to have no worries, but damn, that woman needed to step down. Even though I had no concerns about Bo's commitment to me, I was still overcome with jealousy at her brazen attitude.
"Right Lauren?"
"Huh?" Clearly I was supposed to be participating in this conversation.
"I said, Javier thinks I'm full of shit that we were able to handle a quickie not once, but twice today," Bo yelled above the music. Thankfully, it was a little quieter up in the VIP section.
"Sorry, its true boys. Though that doesn't mean I haven't thought about sex the whole rest of the day, so it was a marathon in my head, but in real life...Bo and I nailed it!"
Bo high-fived me with a "suck-it Javier" smirk on her face as Javier and Louis laughed and shook their heads.
"Oh you nailed something all right," Louis threw back and they toasted to us. "I hope I find that kind of love someday."
Javier's head fell back as an obnoxious laugh fell out. "You mean that kind of love or that kind of crazy, hot sex?" It could be behind bachelor hottie-hot with the long black hair and ripped abs over there."
Louis leaned in closer and mouthed "yummy."
Clearly those two were not a match for true love. After a few moments of laughs and raunchy comments, Bo and the boys engaged in conversation while I was content to take in the surroundings. Clubs were a great place to do some people watching and the dance floor was always primed for some great laughs. When I turned, I came face to face with the blonde that had been staring at Bo.
She eyed me up and down, then held out her empty glass. "I'll take another gin and tonic and while you're at it, I believe the trash needs to be taken out."
Was she seriously talking to me? My brow rose, although not as fast as my temper, but I couldn't make a scene. I had to be the bigger person, so I smiled, took her glass and set it down on the ledge beside me before answering sweetly, "Not a problem, I will have the bouncer escort you out immediately."
"My, aren't you cheeky? I don't know who you are, but you're excused now. Bo is here to see me."
The woman attempted to push past me, but I stood my ground.
"Move it bitch," she yelled above the heavy bass shaking the walls of the club.
I wasn't going anywhere.
At the raised voice Bo turned around, a look of shock when she saw the blonde trying to reach her."Desiree? What the fuck? Get the fuck away from me."
The woman was rude as all fuck, but if Bo had been excited to see her, I would've relented. Seeing Bo's reaction, however, set off my protective nature. With a swift move, I forced her back a step and sided up tight to Bo. She wrapped her arm around my waist and a light smile played on my lips at the glare I received.
Desiree held her smirk in place. She must've believed she still had a chance in all this...whatever this was.
"Bo. Darling, I-"
"No," Bo growled. "No darling, no anything. Leave now before this gets ugly for you."
Javier jumped between us and Desiree waving his fingers and glaring. "Uh uh. Honey, there ain't no room for washed up Hollywood skanks in here."
A light went off in my head. This was Desiree O'Shaungnessy. She was an actress with a few big hits years ago, but she's spent more time in the gossip columns magazines than she ever did onscreen.
Desiree's frown deepened, but she wasn't deterred. "Seriously Bo? That's what you've stooped to? Look at her, she's pretty sure, but she screams missionary position. I bet she doesn't even know the meaning of the word adventure. How long until you get bored of her too?"
Bo's face turned bright red. She was about to blow. The last thing I wanted was for her to have another public incident, so I stepped in. "Look Desiree, I appreciate your concern for my girlfriend's sex life and all, but you know nothing about me."
"Is that so?"
"It is. You see, I'm the Bear Grylls of sex baby. I make Bo scream for mercy more times than pampered, plastic celebs like you do when Bear forces them to repel off a two hundred foot cliff ten minutes into the trip. And you know what else?"
She was silent.
"Just like Bear, I have plenty of ropes and harnesses, so if you'll excuse us, I do believe its time for another adventure."
Her eyes narrowed, but her jaw fell slack. No witty comeback followed as I held my arm out for Bo and kissed her cheek. "Shall we lover?"
Bo grinned, but said nothing. She too seemed taken aback at my retort, but her eyes held a twinkle as she mouthed a thank you. Whatever their history was, I didn't care. I'd come to expect that being with Bo meant certain baggage and some of it was rough, but to be honest, that was tons of fun. With nod I leaned in and whispered, "Better stop for some Gatorade, it marathon time baby."
Bo shivered at the promise of what the night held. Then she giggled a shy giggle, her hand drifting lightly up and down my arm. "Did you bring the ropes and harness," she whispered back.
I tipped my head to see her. Those dimples arrived in full force making me weak in the knees. "I am more than capable of improvising." I kissed her hard and deep, then pulled away, ready for our escape.
Fanning herself with an easy laugh, Bo glanced around the room and played along, "Oh my."
Desiree rolled her eyes with a huff and stomped off.
Bo threw me a seductive grin and asked, "God Lauren, that was fucking sexy. I love the way you get all protective over me," her voice dropped an octave to the tone that drips of sex, "or was that all just for show?"
"Let's get out of here and you'll find out." I winked and waved at the boys before yanking Bo out of the club like the place was on fire.
XXX
So there's that. Let me know if it was total shite. I will try not to make you wait too long for the next one, but life has thrown me a major curve ball and this may have to take a backseat. Hopefully not though. And remember, your reviews make me smile :D