Saint James, Elle - Unbridled and Unhitched [The Double Rider Men's Club 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (12 page)

Alexis narrowed her eyebrows.
What the hell?
“It’s only the first one I’ve tried on.”

The saleswoman’s grimace of a pretend smile got even scarier. “And it looks fabulous on you. Shall I wrap it up?” she asked again, only with even more disturbing exuberance.

Jackson said, “I agree. It looks fabulous. But do you want to try on another one?”

He couldn’t see the woman’s face, but the mention of trying on another dress made her obviously annoyed.

Alexis crossed her arms. “Or perhaps you could direct us to another dress shop that allows a customer to try on more than one article of clothing,” she said. Her tone was calm, but serious. Did the woman think they didn’t have money to pay for it?

The woman startled at the mention of someplace else. Her expression shifted and relaxed slightly. But she obviously warred with something in her mind. Ultimately, as Alexis suspected, she didn’t want to give up the sale.

“No. No. You can try on some more dresses, if you’d like. This one just looks so perfect for you.” She stepped away from Alexis and pointed to a colorful display rack of more dresses. She turned her back and headed toward the checkout desk. Alexis pushed out an annoyed breath and marched over to the new display to search for more. Jackson quirked a brow in the saleswoman’s direction, but followed Alexis instead.

She grabbed two more dresses that he liked and headed back to the dressing room. Three more people had suddenly showed up in the store and were milling around. She’d better get her dresses and get out before there was a sudden stampede at the checkout.

Jackson bought not only the sexy black strapless dress, but also a sleek, satiny, rose-colored one. He also purchased a sexy, royal blue number with a plunging neckline that she’d have to use double-sided tape in order to keep her assets in place and hinder a wardrobe malfunction. All three were very expensive.

But Jackson didn’t even blink an eye at the extravagant price tags. He paid with a credit card and they left holding hands.

One of the female shoppers pointed to them as they walked out. She glanced up at Jackson. If he’d noticed the other woman staring at him, it didn’t show. He did have movie star good looks. Perhaps they thought he was famous. And he was
her
husband. At least for now.

At a kiosk across from the dress shop, Jackson stopped and purchased her a prepaid cellular phone. Grateful for the gift, she asked, “What’s this for?”

“So I can call you if I need to. And you can play games if you’re bored.”

“Thanks, Jackson.”

They went to a shoe store next, where Alexis bought an outrageously expensive pair of sexy, tall, black stiletto heels.

Alexis bounced all the way to the room with her purchases. Jackson asked her to wear the black dress. They almost didn’t get out of the room in time to meet Derek. They caught a taxi at the front of the hotel and headed out for an evening on the town.

After an amazing late dinner and a truly awesome show even later on, the three traipsed back to their hotel via one last cab ride. Alexis hadn’t had a night like this in forever. Her men were funny, smart, gorgeous, and she was already lamenting the short time they’d have together here in Las Vegas.

The moment they arrived in the lobby, Derek pulled his phone out of his pocket, pushed a couple buttons and said, “Shit. Clay has called me like nine times.”

“Interesting,” Jackson remarked casually, and brushed his fingers down her arm. “He isn’t usually so chatty. Maybe you’d better take the time to find out what he wants. Go ahead, we’ll wait over by the fountain.”

Derek nodded and excused himself to the side of the lobby where a few scattered chairs resided for businessmen or those waiting for others.

Alexis and Jackson wandered hand in hand over to the stunningly large and beautiful fountain in the center of the lobby. The top of it was nearly two stories high and was centered in an open design where people on the second floor could look down to view the spectacular sculpture. A railing around the second floor above was a striking frame for the unusual design seen from the first floor.

Jackson leaned over and said, “Look at all that pocket change in the bottom of the fountain.”

Alexis smiled. “It’s all for people’s wishes.”

“Do you want to make a wish?” She nodded.
I wish I could stay married to you and Derek forever.

He pulled a handful of change from his pants pocket and opened his fist for her selection of coins.

Before she could choose, a bellman raced over from the concierge desk area to where they stood. The man looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

“Sir, ma’am, do you need help getting up to your room?”

Jackson squinted at him. “What? No. We’re fine.” The man smiled at him but didn’t move away. Then Alexis noticed that two more hotel employees were on a fast track to meet them at the fountain.
What was going on?

Just then a crowd of people entered the hotel lobby from the street, saw them and the hotel staff by the fountain, and started waving to them. Several of them laughed, and a bunch of phones lifted in the air as if they were about to take a picture of her making a wish in front of the fountain.

The other two hotel staff arrived at their side and asked the exact same question as the first man had. “Do you need any help getting to your room, sir? We’d be glad to escort you there.”

“No. Thank you.” Jackson’s stern voice made a bad feeling thump in her chest. Were they about to be publically embarrassed for the sake of a television show or something?

Derek suddenly appeared between them. His wide-eyed expression screamed
trouble
. “We need to go. Right now,” he said in an elevated tone.

Jackson frowned. “Why? What in the world is going on here?”

The crowd seemed to grow and surround them. Several flashes went off as if a plethora of photos were being taken. Was this what being swarmed by paparazzi felt like?

Someone in the growing crowd called out, “Where is your streak of purple hair?” Alexis got a bad feeling. She hadn’t put the purple streak in her hair tonight. How did a stranger know about it?

Derek pushed out a long sigh. “Clay just now sent me a video. I haven’t viewed it yet.”

“A video of what?” Jackson asked, although by the somber tone of his voice it sounded like he was already afraid he’d asked the question.

“There is a video of the two of you frolicking around in this very fountain right after you got married. Apparently, it’s so entertaining that it went viral on the Internet as of this afternoon.”

Chapter Eight

Derek hustled both Jackson and Alexis to the private bank of elevators servicing their penthouse suite.

Alexis hadn’t spoken a word, and Jackson looked furious enough to bite the head off of anyone foolish enough to get in his way.

The three of them were completely silent as they rode the elevator all the way up. Luckily no one was in the hallway, and they made it to their room before any other stranger with a cell phone accosted them, taking their picture and asking for a re-creation of the night before.

Once behind the safety of their suite door, Jackson exploded. He paced across the marble foyer in front of the bar. “I can’t fucking believe this. Don’t humans have the right of privacy anymore? Does every moment of time have to be recorded and put up on the Internet for whatever entertainment value it offers?” He stopped pacing and ran his hands through his hair. He turned to them.” What the hell is on that video anyway?”

Derek calmly replied, “I haven’t seen it yet. Would you like me to cue it for you on the big screen, or would you just like to check your phone? I believe Clay sent you a copy, as well.”

Alexis looked like a deer framed in the headlights of a car that was about to run over her for a second time. She started shaking her head back and forth slowly. “I don’t think I’m ready to see it yet.”

She dropped her head. Her hands came up to cover her face and she sobbed quietly. That small noise suddenly deflated Jackson’s rage. He dropped his hands and walked over to her. Derek, closer to her, put his arm around her. Jackson lifted her face to look in his eyes. “I’m sorry for ranting and raving. Please don’t cry.”

Derek squeezed her shoulder then moved to slide in behind her. He kissed the top of her head. “We will figure all of this out. Don’t worry.”

She nodded. “I never cry. I’m not an emotional female. I hate when circumstances arise that make me sad. Truthfully, if I thought it would do any good, I’d be ranting and raving alongside you.”

Jackson smiled. “Oh, you’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

She laughed. “Am not.”

Derek slipped his arm around her waist. He kissed the back of her neck. Was it wrong to want to soothe her with sex? Maybe instead of watching videotapes of drunken, drugged antics, they could instead make love to her and help her forget everything.

Alexis leaned backward into his grasp. He brushed her neck with his lips in a soft kiss.

“Is there more than just the one video,” she asked.

He paused a bit before answering, “Clay found several. He has all the hotel footage. But only the one in the fountain seems to be online. And that was from a private citizen.” Derek hated to tell her that there were likely several videos in all manner of various places in the mall. So far only one had made it on to the Internet. But that didn’t mean more wouldn’t surface in the coming days. The current online video was apparently footage from a passerby in the hotel and not from hotel security film.

Clay was under strict orders to quash the release of any further video footage from that night if at all possible.

“I guess I should be grateful that only one ended up online.”

Jackson frowned and backed up a step from the huddle. “We shouldn’t be grateful yet. How long before other versions will surface? Not to mention the companion piece from this evening. The two of us returning to the scene of the crime. Shit. We’ll be lucky if this ever dies down.”

Alexis pushed out a long breath. “Okay. Let’s watch the footage.”

Derek turned her in his arms until she faced him. “Are you sure?”

“I promise not to cry again, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No. But you don’t have to watch it to prove anything.”

“I need to watch it for
me
. There is a large part of me that hates the loss of that time. I want to see what I did. I need to see it. Not knowing what I did is much worse for me.”

Jackson smiled. “Me too.”

Derek nodded. It was official. The two of them were like two peas in a pod. They were so much alike it was funny. He wondered, and not for the first time, if he belonged with them. He loved Jackson like a brother, and Alexis had never given him any reason to doubt her feelings toward him. But still, he felt like he was on the outside looking in to their perfection.

“Cue it up on the big screen. We can all watch it together.”

“Are you sure?” Derek asked.

“Yes,” they both said in unison. Like two peas in a pod.

Derek set it up so the footage would play on the flat screen in the living room.

The opening images of the video were jumpy and obviously from a cell phone. Then it focused in on the fountain. Jackson stood in the knee deep water, bent over, scooped up two handfuls of water and tossed them at Alexis. She squealed in joy, or possibly surprise, and did the exact same thing to him.

They suddenly noticed the coins in the bottom of the fountain, and Alexis motioned him out of the water. “We don’t want to step on other people’s dreams. Go over to the edge.” Jackson wobbled, but complied, and they hugged the side of the pool although they were still standing in the water.