Total pages in book: 206
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
I talked to Pop on the phone in the other room while she took a bath and then when I was done I got in with her. She had the jets on and had her eyes closed.
I got in and she immediately started to scrub my back. When she was done, I leaned back against her chest and tilted my head back and looked up at her. We didn’t talk, but her eyes said so much. If I was reading them right they said she and I were opening a new page, starting a new chapter.
I wanted to say so much to her, but right now I didn’t have the words, so I just let her scrub my chest and then I reached down and pulled her calves up so that her legs were wrapped around my stomach. I massaged her feet and we just hung out for a while in the bubbles, not talking, just touching and cuddling and looking at each other, just being.
It felt beautiful; it felt right. I never wanted to hurt her again; I felt bone-deep remorse over what I’d done the other night. I just prayed she was okay, really okay.
Tommy left for a meeting as I ordered some soup and a sandwich from room service. He said he’d be back in a few hours and would take me gambling before our flight, which was at eight o’clock. I packed up our stuff and I stared at the TV, but was lost in thought until he got back.
Vegas had been enlightening, to say the least. I was curious about whether or not having me see that specific act last night was intentional or whether it’d been a coincidence. Whatever the case was, I guess it happened for a reason. I was just taking things minute by minute, breath by breath. I had strong feelings for him. I felt love, I felt fear, I felt dread, but I also had hope.
When he walked back in, he was smiling, had a spring in his step. “Let’s go show you why they call it Lost Wages.”
The ringing of the slot machines and the buzz of excitement: people and glasses tinkling were overwhelming at first. But before long I probably had dollar signs in my eyes because the slot machines were fun and addicting. But I kept complaining that I sucked at it. I don’t know how many twenties Tommy had fed in, probably seven or eight, maybe more. It felt bad because it felt like I was flushing his money down the toilet.
He didn’t gamble, he just hung out and watched and followed me from machine to machine. When I’d cashed out of a machine and then saw it pay out right afterwards with a thousand quarters to some old lady with a blue hair rinse, I decided I wasn’t moving again until I won, or until we had to leave to catch our flight, whichever came first.
“Cash out, baby. This machine is shit.”
He said this after I let him feed two twenties into it and was down to nine quarters left without going up more than once or twice.
“One more pull.”
“You don’t have to pull, you know; you can just hit the button.”
“I like to pull.” I wrinkled my nose and glanced up at him and he was smirking. I smirked back.
“Tia, this is getting a little like fishing.”
“I’m not catching anything, though.”
“No, but remember what I had to do to get you away from that pond?”
“You’d seriously carry me out of this casino over your shoulder?”
“What do you think?”
He was serious.
“This machine is lucky. It’s pink, like my fishing rod. I’m gonna win.” I reached up and pulled the tall chrome lever again and stuck my tongue out at him and it started dinging and lights started flashing. I won five thousand dollars. Not five thousand quarters, dollars!
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed, “Told ya so, told ya so!”
He shook his head and laughed simultaneously while I jumped up and down. There was a guy, early twenties, beside me and he raised his hand up for a high five. I gave him a smack of my palm and looked to Tommy.
“Lost Wages my ass!” I declared and did a little twirly dance, probably looked ridiculous, but did not care. He shook his head in astonishment and then leaned over and kissed me.
“Sticking your tongue out at me is a spankable offence, Missy. Watch it.” He said against my lips and then winked.
“Why do you think I did it?” I winked back and his face split into a huge grin.
He slept on the flight home, holding my hand the entire time. I watched the in-flight movie. We travelled without James and Nino as Tommy had said they had an errand to run for him locally and would be flying back tomorrow.