Jameson Hotel - the Dark Suite Series: Parts One, Two & Three (29 page)

“Let me guess,” I
say, amazed to see Jules swimming a few feet away. She looks over, but I ignore
her and luckily she does the same. She gets it. Good girl. I’m glad she woke up
and decided to join me.

“What?”
Mera
asks. “Guess what?”

My hand touches her
waist and I pull her closer. We both drink, looking into each other’s eyes. She
places the bottle on the concrete and links her hands behind my neck. “You’re
lonely,” I whisper, inches from her face, “approaching middle-age, no longer in
the porn industry, probably broke...” I look at her arms, not seeing any track
marks. “I’m sure you’re addicted to something. Probably the Special K you
drugged
Dax
with, right? I know your type. You’ll
latch on to anyone because you have no one. Literally.” I look at her arms
again and grin. She lowers them and backs away. “What the
fuck
are
you doing here? Do you think I’m letting this incident with
Dax
go? You haven’t got a clue how fucking pissed I am
about that.” I shake my head. “Don’t count on getting out of here. You
should’ve just packed up and left town.”

She laughs and
treads closer, her legs around my waist and mouth next to my ear. In a faint
voice she says, “I didn’t love
Dayne
, but I knew he’d
scare the shit out of Cove and Sophia enough to get a hefty chunk of money from
those two. Money we could’ve had fun with for a few years, then I would’ve
moved on to someone else. That’s the way my world works. Men will always take
care of me, like your father did. He paid for my college tuition, apartments,
and then gave me whatever the fuck I wanted when I was his house whore. There
have been plenty like him and plenty more to come.
Dax
was punishment for ruining my plans.”

“You’re a fucking
bitch,
Mera
, and getting too old for anyone to care.
You know it and it scares the shit out of you. You’re no longer noticed because
your body and face are sagging. You try to stand out and return to your youth
by getting new tits, but they don’t do jack shit. If the things you said were
true then you wouldn’t be employed at some Italian restaurant in Vegas.”

“I’m not anymore.”

“Because of
Dayne
. He was your way out for a while. A dirty old man
just out of prison is the best you could do.” She slaps my face and I laugh,
noticing my gorgeous blonde resurfacing a few feet away.

I keep an eye on
Mera
while Jules continues to make me proud, swimming
around us, not making a scene or acting like a jealous kid. She’s listening,
but pretending to be a guest and leaving out the drama like she displayed the
other morning with my gun. I don’t hear the words ‘barbarous bitch’ or any
sounds coming from her mouth. She’s calm and mature, while the rest of the
guests are rambunctious, but at least keeping to their own circles.

“You’re a fool to
believe
Dayne
was going to get money from any of us.
He had nothing more on his mind other than taking our heads.”

“He came here for
you first, shithead. He knew you killed his father, he never thought it was
Cove. Get serious.
Cove Everton
,
kill
someone
? Ha!”

“I already knew
that. My death would’ve been enough to get money from Cove and Sophia because
they’d be scared shitless without me around. That’s not news.”

She smirks and runs
a finger down the middle of my face, stopping under my chin and lifting my
head. I swear she’s going to kiss me. Fucking gold digger.

“I’m not next in
line.”

“You sure?” She rubs
my unresponsive dick. “I do have some drugs in my Datsun. We could have a party
tonight... maybe you can show me that you fuck harder, faster, and dirtier than
your daddy. Then we could take a shot of K and travel to a far off land
together.”

I push her away,
repulsed by her contact and words. Fucking
hagbag
.
And poor Jules is watching all of this, her face turning red, lips tight,
shaking her head. Hold back, beautiful. Chill for just five more minutes then
I’m going to cut this woman’s throat. I just need to get her out of this pool.

Jules swims off as
Mera
responds to my shove with a burst of laughter,
treading water then paddling toward her beer. The bitch cozies up next to me
with her back against the wall, sipping from the bottle and laughing like a
child.

“Touch me again and
your hand will be the first thing I cut off,” I say coolly. “Your death’s going
to be much slower than
Dayne’s
.”

“I’m leaving... and
you’re not going to kill me. You have no reason to,” she states with authority.
“I only came here to say goodbye and to see if you wanted to have a little fun
before I go, after all, you are Paul’s son. If he were still around he’d
cheerfully fuck me tonight. But, it doesn’t seem like your cock’s working so I
may have to find someone else.”

“My father wasn’t
cheerful about anything... and no reason to kill you?” I exhale. “Jesus,
there’s a ten-year-
old’s
back I can’t get out of my
head that says differently.”

“Fuck you.” She
treads in front of me. “I may not have loved
Dayne
,
but he was still a friend. What I did to
Dax
wasn’t
even close to being tit for tat. You won. You killed him; I was only expressing
my anger about the situation. It’s over, move on.”

I grab her neck and
drive her against the wall, trying my best to contain my desire to break her
neck. She’s lucky to get a quick release before anyone sees. I just wanted her
to know I’m not fucking around.

“He was supposed to return
with some money, you fuck.” She rubs her neck. “I was married to the guy and we
were having a good time until you ruined it. Now I’m alone.”

“I knew it,” I say.
“So why didn’t you keep
Daxton
and ask for a ransom
if all you wanted was money?”

She looks at the
side of my face and over my shoulder then down my chest, ignoring my question.

“Did
Dayne
cut you?”

“He did,” I lie.

“But he doesn’t use
knives.”

“He grabbed mine.”

She swims in front
of me with hopeful eyes, touching the knick over my heart with a gentle hand.
“It looks fresh... is he still alive? This can’t be more than a day old.”

I don’t respond.

“What did you do to
him?”

“He’s dead,” is all
I say.

Her hands fall in
disappointment. Like all people who are missing someone from their lives, the
hope that they could be out in the world lingers on until you see a body. The
body is what makes death real. I didn’t believe my father was dead until I saw
him laid out in the morgue. Most of his face and head were blown apart, but his
one eye was still intact. I’ll never forget my father’s eyes. No doubt, it was
him
.

“I can’t kill a
child,” she whispers.

“Not many people
can, but I would’ve given you money to get him back. That was fucked up on your
part not to ask for it.”

“You would’ve killed
me and taken your money back anyway. Now that I didn’t get anything from you,
I’m safe.”

I laugh with a hand
on each of her shoulders, squeezing firmly. “You’re stuck in a dream if that’s
what you believe. Christ’s sake, I know a lot more about you than you think.”

She shakes her head
in disbelief.

“Alright bitch.” My
nose is against hers as I whisper with a clenched jaw. “You fucked with my
sister, my father, and now my nephew. With this fog around us I could hold you
underwater until your lungs fill with water and the cops would call it an
accidental drowning.”

“No
asshat
, you can’t. My name is associated with
Dayne
and your father. You’d be fucked if my body were
found in your pool. They’d ask about
Dayne
and wonder
where he was and what I was doing here.” She’s an inch from my lips, about to
bite. “
You’d
be fucked,” she says.
“F-U-C-K-E-D. And just like I can’t kill a child, I bet you can’t kill a woman.
If I were afraid of you, I wouldn’t be in this pool.”

I release her, about
to detonate. “Then I won’t be leaving any trace of your body, just like
Dayne’s
. The two of you will disappear from the face of
this earth forever, never to be seen or heard from again.”

With a headshake,
she says faintly, “Bullshit. I keep thinking he’s in your room or somewhere in
this hotel.” She turns, gazing at the glowing windows and the men standing
around the pool. Looking up and around then back. “You’re a murderer. I knew it
the moment
Dayne
didn’t return. I wanted to punish
you, however, there’s a chance you’re lying, right?”

So she did show up
to see if he was still alive.

“I don’t lie,” I
lie.

Death can certainly
throw people into a state of confusion and disbelief. But just as quickly,
someone like
Mera
snaps out of it and focuses on
other shit.

“So this is all a
facade?” She looks back at my remarkable architectural feat. Massive dark logs
with hefty fieldstone emphasize the fireplaces, windows, and balconies, and
warm lights from every room light the grounds. It’s a sensational retreat at
night. “Your hotel is supposedly elegant. I saw online that you have fresh
Mariposa Lilies in every room and a grand restaurant. You’ve built your own
haven in the mountains, isolating yourself from everyone and everything...
hiding out from the rest of the world.” Her eyes gaze at my suite and then to
the opposite end where my sister stayed. “You’ve tried to rebuild your life by
creating your own world, but just because you built this place doesn’t mean
you’ve changed. You’re still a shithead. If people knew the true you they’d
call this place the Jameson Asylum.” She turns with a grin. “How is your
mother, by the way? She still alive?”

I grab her arm and
pull her closer. “Don’t say a fucking word about my family. And why the hell
would I ever want to change? I’m quite fond of myself.”

“Oh, that’s right, I
forgot you’re vain, arrogant, egotistical... what a guy. I bet you’re getting a
lot of muff out here too... you must be the cream of the crop.” She studies the
men around the pool. “Yep, Marcus Wild, son of Paul and Elizabeth, brother of Sophia,
and a piece of shit to all who cross your path, you’re the big star in South
Lake Tahoe,” she laughs. “Did you think your life in Vegas wouldn’t follow you
out here?
Who
are you hiding from anyway?”

“I’m not hiding from
anyone. Just think about the name of my hotel.”

“Not hiding?” She
doubts. “Only from yourself. And I’m not surprised you used your own name for
your hotel, fucking narcissist.” She swallows another gulp of beer then
examines the contents of the bottle, swirling the liquid high in the air. “You
probably drugged this, right?”

“Should’ve.”

“Are you sure you
didn’t?”

“Sounds like you
wanted me too. Are you looking for a date rape or something sick like that?”

“Wouldn’t be the
first time.” She shrugs.

God, I despise her.
My hands twitch in anger as I chug the rest of my beer. “Your comment disgusts
me and, unlike you, I don’t drug people to overpower them. I have other ways of
doing it. Men who drug women are cowards.”

My head shifts
quickly to a guy expelling a catcall toward someone walking into the pool.
Jules is back. She wades in and snubs the whistling fool.

“Nice ass,” he says.

My fists clench, but
I hold back.

“Hey, baby. What’s
your name?”

“Sarah,” she says.

What the fuck is she
doing?

“
Saaarah
!”
the guy sings. “
Saaarah
, come back and show me your
titters!”

“Knock it off!” I
call out.

“Whoa, tough guy.
Mind your own
freakin
’ business while I’m doing my
thing with the ladies.”

“A real man would
beat the shit out of that guy,”
Mera
says.

“I’m not placing a
hand on any of my guests and getting sued. When the time comes, I’ll have him
removed. I’ve got a business here and a reputation to uphold. I’m not smacking
the guy around.”

“Sarah, wait!” He
steps into the pool, glass held high above the water while walking toward her.
She gives him the finger only to get a grin in response.

“Sarah, baby. You
telling me you
wanna
finger
fuck? Let’s go up to my room.”

“Hey!” I shout. “One
more time and your ass will be down your throat.”

“Fuck off. I’m busy,
shithead.”

Mera
snickers. “I thought you had a reputation to
uphold. Dumbass. Hey, Sarah,” she calls out. “Come over here and hang with us.
We’ll protect you from Howdy
Doody
.”

“Clever,” he says.
“Like I haven’t been called that before.”