Innocent Sins

Thirty minutes later they walked into one of the more popular casinos. Heather made a point of hanging onto Jake's arm like she always did, even though she could tell he wished she'd give him some space today. She was determined to prove once and for all that she loved him and that he was the only man she wanted, or would ever want, and that he could trust her again. Jake dragged her to one of the dealer's tables and played a few hands before asking her to go get him a drink. She started to tell him no, that she thought he was drinking too much, but she remembered how angry he was with her and bit her tongue. That was one argument they should probably have in private. Sighing, she slid off the stool in search of a hostess or a bar.

As soon as she had walked into the room, looking like a refugee from the Playboy mansion, Heather had felt her skin begin to crawl at the way other men were eyeing her up. Since moving to Vegas to be with Jake, she'd grown accustomed to men undressing her with their eyes, but she'd always easily dismissed the looks with little thought. Today wasn't so easy, probably because she was still a bundle of nerves, still worried about Jake's misunderstanding and didn't want to encourage his suspicions.

As she approached the drink area, Heather couldn't believe she was now bold enough to go out in public braless. It made her feel so naughty. The silhouette of her nipples were faintly visible through the thin material of her dress. She even noticed the bartender checking her out as he prepared her requests. Heather still felt a little self-conscious, but it also kind of turned her on to know that a stranger was looking at her like that. She didn't like the feeling at all. Maybe she really was a whore. Maybe everything Jake had done to her and she'd done willingly for both him and Ty had finally unleashed that part of her personality.

Wasn't that the way it always happened in the Cheating Wives section of all the erotic stories magazines and websites she'd ever read? Wives cheated with a guy - usually a black guy at that - and pouf! Instant nymphomaniac. Heather shook her head at the thought. If she was a whore, she'd still be with Ty, maybe sleeping around with other men, not trying to win back her husband. Besides, sex was no more important to her now than it had been this time a year ago. Sure, it was nice if your partner knew what he was doing, but it wasn't everything.

Heather was propped against the bar, waiting on her drinks, when a smooth baritone voice asked, "Kelly?"

Heather turned and saw a tall, familiar white man looking at her hopefully. Startled because she instantly recognized him as an actor from her once favorite soap, it took her a second to respond.

"No, I'm sorry," she told him. "You must be mistaking me for someone else."

"Too bad," he said. "I was hoping that you were my date tonight. I'm sorry, how rude of me. I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Kurt. Kurt Waltham. Can I buy that drink for you?"

"Kurt Waltham? The actor?" she smiled. Oh yes, Kurt Waltham was the actor on her favorite soap, and she'd always had a fierce crush on his character that Jake used to tease her about when they were in college.

"Trying to be," he laughed. "Although most women who watch my show would say I'm just a pretty face and hot body. Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

He seemed sincere, and Heather had to admit he was even better looking in person than he was on TV. She hadn't watched that particular show in a long time, but he'd been on it back when she was in college, so he had to at least be in his forties, maybe his fifties now. He had a touch of silver in his dark hair and a little crow's feet around his eyes, but he still looked great. Wait until she told Cassie, she thought, feeling a little like a schoolgirl meeting her famous crush. Her sister would be jealous as hell. Heather was trying to determine if it would be polite to ask for a couple of autographs when he stepped closer and said, "About that drink...I'm sorry, what was your name?"

She was about to reply when she realized he was leering down at her chest, which instantly put her on the defensive. Bristling, she shot him a look that made it clear she wasn't interested in being picked up, no matter who he was. "Heather Devlin. I'm just getting my husband a drink." OK, so Jake technically wasn't her husband anymore, but this guy didn't know that. "Besides, the drinks are free in here," she pointed out.

"Yeah, good point," he laughed at himself. "And you're such a beautiful woman, of course you'd be spoken for," he commented, feigning disappointment. "Then again, this is sin city. And that is a sinful dress, if you don't mind my saying."

She wasn't sure how to respond to the provocative statement so she stayed silent, turning to face the counter.

"Since you recognized me, can I take it to mean that you watch my show?" he asked casually, and Heather began to wonder if she was just overreacting.

"I used to," she admitted with a polite smile. "I was borderline obsessed with Eric when Eric and Carly were the big supercouple. In fact, I had a poster of you as Eric in my dorm room."

"Really?" he seemed pleased at the thought. "So Heather," he began slowly, looking her up and down. "Do you really have a husband?"

"Of course. Why would I lie?"

"Dressed like that..." He shrugged, then smiled wryly. "I don't suppose you and your husband are interested in letting another man be your date for the evening," he said, sliding his hand along the curve of her arm. "I promise to make it worth your while. Especially since the lady I was supposed to be meeting seems to have stood me up."

Offended, Heather could only move away and insist, "You've got the wrong idea. I love my husband very much. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch me without permission."

His eyes seemed quick and intelligent, and they lit up in a way that informed her that he enjoyed the idea of the challenge she'd silently thrown down. No matter, Heather had no interest in playing games with him or anyone else. Oh god, she just hoped Jake didn't see her talking to this man and jump to conclusions again. She already had a hard battle in front of her, convincing him that he'd misunderstood her words earlier.

The bartender placed two drinks in front of her, so she quickly turned from her once teenage idol and walked away without a backwards glance. Jake was, of course, watching her when she returned, and Heather felt a moment's panic at the look of pure hatred in his eyes. But he quickly masked any emotion he was feeling and politely thanked her for tracking down the drink.

"Excuse me, but is there room enough for another player?"

Both she and Jake glanced up to see the man who'd been harassing her at the bar invite himself into the next hand. He smiled confidently as he took the seat next to Heather, and she shot Jake a worried look, trying to reassure him with her eyes that she hadn't encouraged the man at all. She saw that Jake recognized him too; he shot her a funny look as if he were trying to gauge her reaction. Then he calmly focused on his hand, barely glancing either at her or at the newcomer.

Jake had watched Heather flirting with the tall, distinguished man at the bar and had to grit his teeth to keep from going over there and yanking her away. Heather had acted nervous coming back to the table, and he figured she was still valiantly trying to pretend to be what Jake wanted her to be despite her inner desires. He supposed it would save the both of them a lot of trouble if he could just learn to accept sharing his woman with other men. He'd changed a lot, but that much? Honestly, he didn't think so.

He was somewhat startled to recognize the actor from Heather's favorite soap back in college. She hadn't watched it much in years, but when they'd first married, she'd been all into this guy's character and romance with a nurse at the hospital where his character worked. He remembered teasing her that she wished she were the pretty nurse and that he'd had no idea she was so into older men.

"I don't normally find older men attractive, but Kurt Waltham is just hot," she'd teased back. Jake thought it was funny that he now remembered that conversation so well and wondered if this was fate dealing its hand and trying to prove something to both of them - that Heather couldn't be faithful, that Jake would never be able to forgive her, and they weren't destined to be together after all.

The actor drew Jake into conversation, obviously probing for details about Heather. Jake was a little surprised when Kurt implied that Heather had said Jake was her husband. "Are the two of you in town for business or pleasure?" Kurt then asked conversationally.

"Both," Jake replied without elaborating.

Kurt seemed nice enough. He oozed self-confidence, and he certainly wasn't shy. Sitting between Jake and Kurt, Heather jumped a little when she felt the warmth of Kurt's hand come to rest on her bare thigh. Irritated, she pushed his hand away and felt her face grow red when he let out a soft chuckle. Maybe he wasn't so nice after all, she decided.

She leaned over and whispered in Jake's ear, "Can we please leave soon? Please."

Jake only smiled slyly, focusing on his hand. It was a lousy hand, but no one could tell it from looking at him. "Later," he told Heather, then lifted his eyes and smiled at Kurt.

"So are you in town for business or pleasure?" Jake asked.

"Pure pleasure," the other man said with a self-satisfied laugh. "If I could just land me a sweet, sexy plaything like your wife there, my day would be made."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must not have introduced you two properly," Jake corrected calmly. "This is Heather Ross. And Heather is not my wife."

Heather paled hearing Jake use her maiden name - she'd still gone by Devlin, even after the divorce - and flinched hearing Jake publicly inform the other man they weren't actually married. Feeling threatened, Heather explained hastily, "Jake and I were once married, but now we live together. I love him so much it's easy to forget sometimes that we're no longer legally married. In my heart, he'll always be my husband."

Jake could hear the silent "Take that" in her tone and wondered if she'd made the speech for his benefit or Kurt's.

"Something tells me there's a story there worth hearing," Kurt said, glancing between the two of them with interest. "Tell you what. I've got five grand here. It's yours if you tell it to me."

Heather stiffened. "Five thousand dollars just to tell you a story? That seems a little wasteful," she scoffed.

"I've got plenty of money to waste, and I love hearing human interest stories like this. You never know when it might help me find the motivation to play a certain character," he replied. "So, what's it gonna be?"

Jake didn't need the money. He knew it and Heather knew it. But he was somewhat amused that the actor was willing to go to such great lengths to get between Heather's thighs. And he supposed it might be interesting to see how Heather would react in the long run. She was putting up a good fight, but was she sincere about loving Jake, or was she hanging onto his memory because she was afraid to admit she enjoyed being with other men?

It was time they both found out.

"All right," Jake heard himself say. "But it's hardly the type of story told over a poker table. Do you have a room here, or are you staying somewhere else?"

"Jake!" Heather gasped.

"As a matter of fact, I do have a room upstairs," Kurt answered, then folded his hand. Jake stayed in the game and smiled when, minutes later, he won the pot with such a lousy hand. Gathering his own remaining chips, Kurt said, "Why don't we head up, and I can order us some room service while we talk."

Heather reluctantly followed Jake, wondering what he hoped to prove by doing this. Grabbing his arm, she stopped him and said, "You can go up if you want. I'll grab a cab and head home."

"But there's so much to the story only you can tell, sweetheart."

"Go to hell, Jake."

"Been there, done that," he replied tautly. "If you don't come upstairs with me, it's over. You can go home, pack your bags and be gone when I get back. Your choice."

She hadn't expected such an outright ultimatum, and it knocked her for a loop. She wasn't ready to give up on him yet, despite her discomfort, so she followed him into the elevator. She shot him a look that she hoped made it clear she wasn't happy to be going along with this. She felt her skin crawling and turned to see Kurt staring at her in a way that was downright lewd.

"Here's my home for a few days," he told them a few minutes later, leading them into a luxurious suite that looked to have its own kitchen, living room, bedroom and a magnificent view of the strip.

"Nice," Jake commented, glancing around. Heather could tell he wasn't really all that impressed, but the older man obviously took him at his word, launching into a description of all his amenities, which included a Jacuzzi and fully loaded bar.

"I like to come to Vegas now and then to unwind. Spend a little money. Meet new friends," Kurt added with a meaningful look at Heather's breasts. "I believe I owe you five thousand," he then said and produced a stack of bills. "And you owe me a story."

Jake took a seat across from the actor in the only chair in the room, and Heather was left with nowhere to sit other than the sofa cushion next to Kurt. "I believe I'll let my...ex-wife...tell it," Jake said with a disdainful smile. "For accuracy's sake, of course."

Heather clenched her jaw to keep from saying something hateful. When seconds passed without a word from her, Jake shrugged and began casually, "I suppose you could say it all started in college, when I walked into my chemistry class one day and fell in love with this dark-haired, blue-eyed girl..."

Heather sat there, on pins and needles, as she listened to him tell this stranger about their courtship. She was both captivated and embarrassed as she listened to Jake tell an abridged version of their history. She'd never really heard him talk about how he'd felt back then, before he was in the Marines and trying to win her love, and later, after they'd married and been so happy. When he came to the point where he'd caught Heather cheating, she begged emotionally, "Jake, please don't..."

"As I was saying, Heather slept with another man," Jake continued as if she'd never spoken. "Several times, as I later found out, and with a black man, in fact."

"Really?" Kurt interjected, obviously fascinated. He looked at Heather with a new appreciation.

"Needless to say, I kicked her out and started divorce proceedings almost immediately," Jake said.

"Can't say I blame you," Kurt commented with a bark of laughter. "So how did the two of you end up back together? And where is this other man now?" He looked at Heather and asked pointedly, with relish, "Did you keep fucking him after your divorce came through?"

Heather turned a telling shade of red, and Jake knew she had slept with Ty even after she'd sworn never to do it again. The thought made him even angrier than he already was inside. He wanted to get up and leave and never look back. But he loved her as much as he hated her right now, so he stayed, hoping she'd offer a logical explanation. When Heather refused to answer, Jake decided to make her pay for it.

"Ty is still back East, though I hear his business is failing. I also hear he's made another woman - his partner's wife - pregnant and I think he'll be forced to leave town soon," he said and glanced at Heather to gauge her reaction to this news. He considered admitting that he'd at least had a hand in the downfall of Ty's business but decided he'd savor the tidbit secretly, for now.

Initially, he'd thought long and hard about what type of revenge he could get on the black man who'd stolen his wife. His first instinct had been to grab a baseball bat and work the bastard over good. But Jake figured he would have ended up in jail, and nothing was worth that. So he had focused on hitting Ty where it would hurt the most - his ego and his pride.

Of course, Jake had learned later that, during one of his drunken binges, he'd called an old friend from the Marines and told him everything that had happened. Some of the guys closest to him had jumped Ty on his behalf, but Jake hadn't gotten much satisfaction from the knowledge.

He'd cooled his heels and used his money to find out everything he could about Ty Johnson, ex-basketball player, current male stripper. Ty was so arrogant, believing he could have any woman he wanted, that he'd even seduced the new wife of his so-called best friend. Apparently Ty liked to brag about how he sometimes used drugs on women to get them compliant, which had made Jake wonder about Heather. She'd said Ty had drugged her. Well, hell, that had pissed Jake off even more. Opening a gym had been Ty's dream since he'd injured his knee and had to stop playing ball. Enough said.

The gym had been struggling anyways, but when Jake had secretly bought out and then injected a large amount of funds into its biggest competitor, updating the facility and lowering membership prices, the place hadn't stood a chance. Aside from which, Jake had used some connections to obtain security tapes from the gym Ty co-owned and had hit the jackpot when he discovered a few tapes had recorded Ty's adulterous meetings with his closest partner's new bride. He had figured Ty's MO would stay the same. Needless to say, payback was a bitch. Jake had had his assistant mail copies of the tapes to Ty's partners - all of them - just the other day. Included in the envelope were copies of documents showing where Ty had been taking more than his fair shair of the company's money. jake wouldn't have to lift a finger against Ty Johnson - Ty's partner's were bound to do it for him.

Thinking of what would probably happen to Ty now, he smiled and added, "As for how we ended up back together, Heather agreed to be my private slut in exchange for money, clothes and a roof over her head. However, she told me this morning that she needed more."

"More of you," Heather bit out, alternating between deep shame hearing details of her affair spoken aloud and anger that Jake was treating her this way. "I only want more of you, Jake. More of the man I married, not of the son-of-a-bitch who's been trying everything he can to humiliate me and make me leave. Not more of the man you've become. That's what I was trying to tell you this morning, but I'm such a bundle of nerves all the time, I messed it up."

Was she serious? Jake wondered. He supposed it was possible, and man, how he wished it were true. He just wished he could be certain before he risked his heart again.

Kurt, meanwhile, had been watching and listening with great interest. Finally he inserted his own observations. "I don't know, Heather. I think I'm with Jake on this one. I think you were trying to tell him you wanted more ...more of other men." He reached out and laid his hand on her bare knee. "A sexy woman like you needs more than what one man can give you, and I think you know it. I think Jake knows it too. Isn't that right, Jake?"

Jake felt another bolt of that familiar anger shoot through his body, and his first instinct was to punch this guy's lights out. It was obvious the aging actor wanted to offer his services to satisfy Heather's apparent need for more. Hell, Jake had known that downstairs. Heather had too. It was the real reason they were all here now. Masking his inner feelings with a look of disinterest, Jake glanced at Heather and shrugged. He needed to know if she'd give in to temptation again, if the opportunity arose. Maybe one last test...one final opportunity to see how much she really loved him...