Secrets Lies & Vegas Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  A Totally Bound Publication

  Secrets, Lies and Vegas

  ISBN # 978-1-78430-474-4

  ©Copyright Pamela L. Todd 2015

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright March 2015

  Edited by Sarah Smeaton

  Totally Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2015 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

  Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Sizzling and a Sexometer of 2.

  Beautiful Sinners

  SECRETS, LIES AND VEGAS

  Pamela L. Todd

  Book one in the Beautiful Sinners series

  All she wanted was one night. One night to feel something. She would never see him again. No one had to know.

  During a girls’ weekend in Las Vegas, Marley Jacobs makes the risky decision to let go of the stress of her reality and enjoy life, even if it’s just for one night. Green-eyed and gorgeous Blake Hamilton opens her eyes to all the pleasures Vegas has to offer and allows her to experience something other than the desperate suffocation she has grown accustomed to. When she returns home to New York and the shackles which await her, she has to forget about Blake, and how he made her feel more alive in one night than she ever has in her entire life.

  Marley never thought she would see Blake again, but a moment of kismet throws them back together. It doesn’t take Marley long to realize that the burning desire for Blake didn’t come from the dry heat of the desert. The passion Marley has for Blake is dizzying and without warning, intimacy creeps in.

  Falling for Blake isn’t part of Marley’s plan. She knows exactly how her life is supposed to be and she cannot afford to be distracted by him or his green eyes. The only problem is, for someone she isn’t supposed to be with, he seems to fit perfectly within her heart.

  Dedication

  First and foremost, for Matthew—will you call my name?

  And also for the best family a girl (and author) could ask for.

  The support from all you guys is truly humbling.

  Thank you.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Coyote Ugly: Coyote Ugly Saloon; Ugly, Inc.

  Hallmark: Hallmark Cards, Inc.

  Gulliver’s Travels: Jonathan Swift

  Armani: Giorgio Armani S.p.A.

  Tropicana: Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel and Resort Inc

  Luxor: MGM Resorts International

  Primm Valley Hotel: Affinity Gaming

  La Perla: La Perla Fashions. Inc.

  Marc Jacobs: Marc Jacobs International, LLC

  Mercedes: Daimler AG

  BlackBerry: Research In Motion Limited.

  Tiffany: Tiffany & Company

  Burberry: Burberry Group plc

  Bergdorf’s: Bergdorf Goodman; Neiman Marcus

  Louboutin: Christian Louboutin

  Versace: Gianni Versace S.p.A.

  The Stepford Wives: Ira Levin

  Waldorf Astoria: Anbang Insurance Group

  Scrooge (A Christmas Carol): Charles Dickens

  Botox: Allergan, Inc.

  The Garden (Four Seasons): Four Seasons Hotels Inc.

  Four Seasons: Four Seasons Hotels Inc.

  Bud: Anheuser-Busch InBev N.V.

  Lycra: Invista

  Wonderbra: Hanesbrands Inc.

  Hermès: Hermès International S.A.

  Starbucks: Starbucks Coffee Corporation

  Barbie: Mattel

  Porky Pig (Looney Tunes): Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

  Halloween: John Carpenter, Debra Hill. Compass International Pictures

  Chanel: Chanel S.A.

  Tenjune: Tenjune, New York City

  Jimmy Choo: Jimmy Choo PLC

  Bonnie and Clyde: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Inc.

  New York Aquarium: Wildlife Conservation Society

  Coney Island Beach Shop: Coney Island Beach Shop, Inc.

  Nathan’s Famous: Nathan's Famous, Inc.

  Urban Legend: TriStar Pictures, Inc.

  Pepto: Procter & Gamble Co.

  Ben and Jerry’s: Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc.

  Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: Robert Frost

  Prada: Prada S.p.A.

  TiVo: TiVo Inc.

  Teen Mom: 11th Street Productions

  America’s Next Top Model: Pottle Productions and CBS Television Distribution

  Phish Food: Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc.

  Cheers: Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions and Paramount Network Television

  Disney: The Walt Disney Company

  Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz): L. Frank Baum and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

  Kleenex: Kimberly-Clark Corporation

  Walmart: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

  Chin Chin: Chin Chin Chinese Restaurant

  Michael Mina: Mina Group

  O: Cirque du Soleil: Cirque du Soleil Inc.

  Thermos: Thermos LLC

  You’ll Never Walk Alone: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II

  Band-Aid: Johnson & Johnson

  Zumanity: Zumanity

  Cirque du Soleil: Cirque du Soleil Inc.

  Technicolor: Technicolor, Inc.

  Post-it: 3M Company

  Mandalay Bay: MGM Resorts International

  Yoga Works: Yoga Works, Inc.

  Improv at Harrah’s: Caesars Entertainment Corporation

  Fashion Show Mall: General Growth Properties Inc

  Chapter One

  Excitement fizzed in my stomach as I followed the girls, who talked a million miles a minute and barely paused to take a breath. We walked into the restaurant…or was it a circus tent? Soft, floaty material of all colors was our ceiling and the wall panels displayed vintage art from the big tops of days gone by. In fact, the only clue that we hadn’t stepped into a 1940s circus was the window that overlooked the world-famous fountain display. It took my breath away even in daylight, but now, lit up against the backdrop of darkness, I could barely tear my eyes away.

  Hayley introduced us to the hostess, who led us to our table, the most central in the restaurant. Eve scanned the room, her hunter instincts on full alert as she surveyed her prey. Beth looped arms with hers, giggling in her ear.

  The moment our waiter appeared, Hayley ordered a bottle of champagne.

  “Well, I think we should make a toast,” Hayley announced once our glasses had been filled.

  “Here, here,” Eve said, raising her glass. “To Marley! For without her, I would never have met that cute investment banker from Chicago.”

  Hayley rolled her eyes. “Yes, Eve, that was exactly what I was thinking.”

  Beth giggled, flipping her long, shiny black hair over one shoulder. “Yeah, because it should be about Ken from Kentucky.”

  I snorted a laugh. “You do remember that his name wasn’t actually Ken? And the fact that he only put up with the nickname was because you left your bra pinned to the wall in Coyote Ugly and he could see your nipples through your dress?”

  Beth waggled her eyebrows. “Well, I do have very nice nipples.”

  “You should send that to Hallmark,” Hayley said. “Okay, in all seriousness guys, I really do want to make a toast to Marley
.”

  Beth and Eve raised their glasses, eyes on Hayley as they waited for her toast.

  “Marley, you know we love you,” Hayley said with a smile, “and I think it goes without saying that this trip has been ridiculously overdue. So here’s to our last night, and going as hard as we can.”

  “To Marley!” Beth and Eve chorused, chinking their glasses at mine.

  I forced a smile and took a gulp of champagne, which tasted sour on my tongue. That toast, whilst heartfelt, felt like a needle in my heart. It was just another reminder of how different I was from my friends.

  Eve tossed back the remainder of her drink. As she placed the empty glass on the table, her eyes darted between us all when she noticed us staring. “What are you all looking at? You said go hard.”

  “I said hard, not sloppy,” Hayley said, shaking her head, the small smile pulling at her lips, ruining any scolding she may have intended. She tugged on the end of Eve’s shoulder-length blonde hair. “You might want to pin this up before bed, because no one will be holding it back for you.”

  Eve leaned closer to Hayley, pursing her glossy red lips. “Honey, I plan on burning all the alcohol out of my system with vigorous exercise.”

  Beth laughed. “Let’s make a toast to that!”

  We ordered our food when the waiter returned, Beth and Eve still sizing up their potential prey. I circled the rim of my glass with my fingertip and felt a set of eyes on me. Hayley studied me with her curious blue eyes, a tiny crease between her eyebrows.

  Out of everyone, it was Hayley I was closest to, the first out of this group of girls I’d met. They pulled me into their orbit in a blur of cocktails and club music. Beneath the man-eating exterior of these women were big hearts and kinder spirits. I adored them all, but Hayley was the one I felt the deepest bond with. But like any close relationship, it had its perks and its downsides. Like right now, when I knew she could see more than the others.

  “Last night blues?” she asked, her tone light.

  I gave a swift nod. “Something like that.”

  Hayley patted my knee under the table. “We’d better make it a memorable one then, hadn’t we?”

  “It’s already been pretty memorable, Hayley,” I said, giving her a genuine smile.

  And it had.

  Surprisingly.

  None of us had been to Vegas before and I had been hesitant to come. Sin City… Who wanted to go there? A city where people flocked to make stupid decisions and change their lives…for better or worse.

  Maybe that isn’t such a bad idea…

  I wasn’t altogether sure what I’d expected of this place. When the plane had begun its descent toward the ground and I’d seen the bright lights of this unusual world, a flicker of excitement had rumbled low in my body. I’d all seen the movies, the TV shows, but really, nothing could have prepared me for the intensity of Vegas. I’d had my preconceived ideas, the mental image that was a far cry from the glossy, fluorescent reality. I’d thought I’d known what to expect, but it wasn’t until we’d driven down the Strip with the lights reflecting off the windows that I’d discovered there wasn’t actually anything—real or imagined—that could have prepared me for Vegas herself.

  It felt like I was a Lilliputian in a glittery and exotic setting—only the buildings were Gulliver, and these were my travels. Truth was, I had looked down my nose at the thought of a trip to Las Vegas. I wasn’t a snob. It was just the white-trash stories that went hand in hand with the city which made it a less than desirable vacation spot. But when I’d got here, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Wealth and luxury screamed from most places and it was larger than life. A playground for those looking for an escape from reality, even for a short while.

  Maybe this was exactly where I needed to be.

  After a delicious meal that was served on a plate with pictures of monkeys, the girls tried to decide where to go for the night’s activities. Well, Hayley tried to narrow down the options—Eve and Beth were still admiring the specimens on display. I, on the other hand, ogled the dessert tray.

  God, I hate diets.

  Beth subtly pointed out a target to Eve. “Look at that one, over there.”

  “Oooh….” Eve crooned.

  “Oh! That one!”

  “Oh my God, are you serious? What are you, blind?”

  “Over there then.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Wait a minute… I’ve got it… By the bar. See?”

  “Dibs.”

  “You can’t call dibs!”

  “I just did!”

  “But I saw him first!”

  “Then you should have called it.”

  “Fine. Whatever. I don’t care.”

  “You so do.”

  Beth and Eve’s shameful game of man window shopping was a welcome distraction. It was an impressive feat that they found so many desirable men in the restaurant, considering there were only nineteen tables. When I’d first met them, I’d thought the guys they favored were lucky to have such beautiful girls fawning over them. Now I felt sorry for the poor bastards. It was like watching a lioness flirt with an innocent springbok. There was no doubt that these girls were predators—and they were hungry.

  They thought of this vacation as a buffet table, and the helpless male habitants and visitors of Vegas were the only meat on the menu. I’d lost count of how many business cards and cocktail napkins with carefully written phone numbers they’d acquired this weekend. With tonight being our last night, they would be bringing their A game…and no one was safe.

  Hayley giggled, breaking my reverie, and leaned over the table to whisper, “A guy at the bar is staring at you.”

  My eyebrows shot up “So?”

  She rolled her eyes. “So go talk to him!”

  “Yeah. Right,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

  Hayley frowned. “Why not?”

  “I can think of a few reasons.” Maybe it was because Hayley had made me aware, but I felt a pair of eyes on me. The little hairs on the back of neck stood on end and it was all I could do not to turn around.

  Hayley gave a slight shake of her head, as though admitting I was a lost cause. “So where are we going?” she asked, the question aimed for no one specific.

  “I really want to go back to Coyote Ugly,” Beth pleaded, clasping her hands together under her chin and pouting.

  Eve arched a perfect eyebrow at our friend. “And lose another bra to the wall? Good thing we’re only here for the weekend. Imagine the loss if we were here for longer.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Please. Like Beth needs an excuse to buy new underwear.”

  “We are so not going back to Coyote Ugly. Come on, you guys. We need to make this a stellar night.” Hayley’s eyes flickered to me. “For Marley’s sake.”

  I frowned. “Why for Marley’s sake?”

  Beth shot me a pointed look. “Like we could get you on another vacation. It was hard enough getting you to come this time!”

  I dropped my eyes, unable to look at their accusing faces. Though they were messing around, I doubted they would ever know how much their words stung. How quickly they forgot the easiness of their own lives.

  Hayley cleared her throat. “Guys, focus. Where are we headed next? We’ve already been sitting in here for more than two hours. And I nominate Marley to be in charge of tonight’s festivities.”

  “Why don’t we just stay in the hotel tonight?” I suggested. We were staying in one of the best hotels on the Strip, yet we hadn’t even experienced its nightclub yet.

  Hayley nodded her agreement. “Vault? Yeah, I heard it’s meant to be one of the best. We’re staying here anyway. May as well keep close to home.”

  Beth looked disappointed at being outvoted, but when a group of well-dressed and devastatingly good-looking men walked past our table voicing their own plans to visit the same club, she soon perked up.

  Beth wriggled in her chair. “You guys done?”

  * * * *

  My spirits soared as we took the escalator to the club. The bright purple lights of the entrance loomed into view as the steady beat of the music pulsed through my body. The club itself was dark—black and gold décor adding an element of luxurious mystery with strategic floor and ceiling lighting providing enough illumination to see. The brightness of the bars shone into the large space like beacons, above the DJ box a frenzy of flashing colors. We walked past booths and tables stocked with bottles of Cristal and slender flutes—wealth and elegance dripping from every sconce, every detail. It was a club full of secrets and I couldn’t help but wonder how many indiscretions it witnessed.