The Forbidden Fruit Always Tastes Sweeter

The rest of the band introduced themselves to me as I showed them around the hotel. They seemed like laid back enough type of group. I smiled, watching how they all interacted with each other. Just having a fun, carefree time.

I learned that Leo pulled some strings to get them to perform this weekend for his daughter's birthday party, seeing as they are one of her favorite bands. Currently, they are back home in the studio recording their new record.

At the moment Zacky had been losing, which just added more fuel to the fire. Really, he would be winning, but I pulled some strings of my own.

Beth, the girl working the table at the moment has kept arranging the cards so I would win. Since, in reality, I never win at poker without cheating and everyone here at The Golden Palace knows that.

Normally, a casino host wouldn't play, they just make the customer look good and spend more. But, it was only to be a few rounds so Vengeance could show me how good of a poker man he is.

Yet, as Anthony strolled on by my luck soon thinned out. "So, Miss Woods, teaming up on a poor defenseless man?"

"No, just keeping him on his toes." I smiled innocently and rearranged my cards. "It's only been like three games, Ant."

"Just remember that babe." He smirked walking away.

"I'm out." I mumbled and folded my cards.

"What the hell was that about?" Johnny asked. At the moment, it was only us three at the private table, the rest of the band went off at some other games.

"A warning to watch my back." I sighed handing my cards to Beth. "Deal them straight the next round Beth."

"Straight?" Vengeance raised an eyebrow. I smirked doing the same. He slammed his cards down. "You little shit."

"Little tip hun." Beth interrupted and nodded her head towards me. "She can't win. She sucks ass at poker."

"All innocent fun really." I smiled chewing on my lower lip.

"If you weren't so sexy doing that, I would so school you?" Zacky sulked.

"That's the best you got?" I raised my eyebrow at his come back.

He sat up towering over me. "Hell no, but since my buddy over there has been keeping an eye on you, can't do much about it." He smirked leaning back in his seat.

I went to look over my shoulder, but he stopped me. "Don't look." He laughed. "Man Johnny, ain't Syn such a territorial guy?"

Johnny laughed and agreed with him. I didn't know what to think, though I could feel my cheeks getting flushed. "So you how do you know Danny?" Johnny asked me next.

"You know Danny?" Zacky turned his attention back to me.

"Yeah, since I was little." I said softly, not wanting to think too far back into the past. "My grandma was a good friend with his."

"Where are you from?" Zacky asked.

"San Clemente." I shrugged.
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Zacky nodded. "Not so far from us then."

"Nope. Just a lil' ol Orange County girl." I smiled innocently.
<P>
"How come we've never met?" Johnny asked. "We've known Danny for a while now."

"We hung out with different crowds sometimes I guess." I smiled softly. Beth tapped her wrist. I looked at my watch seeing it was nearing three that I could go home. "Well gentlemen, until tomorrow."

"You're leaving?" Zacky pouted.

I laughed at his rosy cheeks and glazed eyes. He was so on his way to being completely plastered. "You'll see me tomorrow to take care of you again."

"Oh, Lucy, can you show us our room?" Johnny asked.

I mentally sighed. I was exhausted, but put up a smile anyway. "Yeah, sure." I got up to go get the rest of the band so I could do it all in one shot, but Zacky grabbed my hand.

"Play along." He smirked.

Johnny laughed and shook his head. "Friend or not. He's going to kick your ass."

Zacky shrugged and stood up still holding my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Alright lead the way."

I laughed when he pulled me closer. I whispered in his ear, "I think I'm going to have to say that I agree whole heartedly with Johnny. You are going to get your ass kicked."

"All innocent fun, isn't that what you called it?" He shrugged. "Besides, he shouldn't feel too threatened; he knows that all I need is Gena."

I resisted awing and shook my head, leading them to their suit. I must say it was one of the nicer suits that had it's own private Jacuzzi on a secluded deck. The suite I actually was supposed to be staying in was down the hall, around the corner.

"I will see you two tomorrow." I handed them the key.

"Thanks Lucy. And, we'll need a rematch since you were a cheat the whole night." Zacky smirked.

"We'll see. Night Johnny. It was nice meeting you guys." I waved good night.

I headed to my suit down the hall that I used sometimes and slipped out of my black pencil skirt and hung it up to prevent any more wrinkles in the polymide silk. Opening the drawer of my dress I pulled out a pair of tight fitting blue jeans to change into. Grabbing my leather jacket off of the bed, I slipped that on as well.

I grabbed my helmet and couldn't find my keys. I shook my head figuring that I had left them with the valet and slipped my backpack over a shoulder.

When I got to the front entrance, the kid told me that my keys were in room 1689 with a note saying, 'Just keeping you on your toes.'

No doubt that Anthony and Derek were behind this. I sighed as I got off of the elevator back onto my floor and shifted my helmet to the other arm looking at the numbers on the doors, right back where I was only a few moments earlier.

I knocked on the door to be answered by a sleepy looking Brian in jeans, shirtless. "Lucy right?" He knew her name. Hell, he had already memorized every feature on this girl, trying to figure out how to keep her attention all to himself.

"Yeah," I scratched the back of my neck, suppressing a yawn. "Some strange looking guy didn't happen to come by and leave a pair of keys with a little angel key chain on it by any chance?"

I know that by now Anthony and Derek were long gone as well as Leo. So I would be stuck here stranded seeing as I'm not stupid to walk in Las Vegas by myself at this time of day. Especially in the neighborhood I live in, and that would be a long walk in itself.

He looked at me strangely and shook his head. "Not that I know of."

I sighed, "Great." Even if I did hot-wire my bike, I still had no way of getting into my apartment, not that I would ruin my bike like that either.

"Something wrong?" He asked me stepping out into the hallway.

"Oh, only these guys I work with took my keys for what they would call a joke and what I would call a pain in the ass." I said sarcastically and sighed.

"Why don't you stay here then?" He suggested as the elevator opened.

"Thanks, but I can just get my own room." I smiled at the offer.

"Come on. You look like you want to crash. Five steps away there's a nice inviting bed. Instead of going all the way to the main floor and getting it all settled out and then you have to find your room. And what if the key doesn't work?" Brian went and stood in my way.

"Is this begging I hear?" I mocked.

He stepped aside. "Sure just bruise my ego."

"No, I've bruised enough egos for today thank you." I smiled.

"So is that a yes?" He leaned over me.

I swallowed and shook my head at the tempting offer. "I have my own room. Thanks though, good night Brian." I smiled and began to walk towards my room, accepting that I would be staying at the hotel.

He jogged up to me. "I thought you bruised enough egos?"

"I make except- You didn't let that door shut did you?" I sighed and turned to him.

"I might of." He rubbed his neck sheepishly and leaned against the wall.

I rolled my eyes and knocked on the door. Danny opened the door. "Oh so I see you found our lead guitarist, thank you Loon."

"Shut up Danny." I said tiredly and shoved my helmet in his arms keeping his hands occupied. I grabbed my keys out of his front pocket. "Figures they would give'm to you." I grabbed my helmet and began walking away.

Danny grabbed my arm. "You can't go back tonight. Derek said that there was news of a deal going down in your area. It's not safe to go back tonight. This is what you left San Clemente for?"

Brian looked at the both of us sensing the tension and slipped into the hotel room to give us some privacy, knowing that he was not meant to be part of this conversation.

"What was left for me there?" I sighed running my thumb over the angel. I was tired as it was and didn't have the stamina to put up a decent argument.

"You had so many opportunities going for you, Lucy. All you had to do was sign your name on the dotted line for yet another one. Instead you just run away? It will be two years soon. No one has seen you in almost two years Lucy."

"At least you have someone to fall back on." I looked at the key chain. "The people who made me want to accomplish those dreams are gone."

"So! You just gave up Lucy?" He shook his head disappointed. "I guess you're not the person I thought you were. Look at how you; you've changed so much." He ran a hand through his hair, as I stayed silent. "Just come inside."

Numbly I let him pull me into the hotel suit. The guys jumped pretending to carry on in their own activity. I shook my head knowing that they were ease dropping and walked across the room out to the deck. I laid my bag and helmet on the lounge and leaned on the railing.

I was regretting the memories I had left behind in California that Danny surfaced. I ran my hands through my hair as I leaned on the railing. My past was a bit dysfunctional to say the least. But, just when I had accepted everything and finally was somewhat happy…Well, like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

"Are you okay?" I looked over see Brian shutting the door behind him.

"Yes, Mr. Haner I'm fine." I managed to smile slightly.

"Brian." He bumped sides with me and leaned against the railing as well. "I don't think anyone has ever called me Mr. Haner before," he chuckled, looking out at the light up view of the strip, even at this early hour of the morning. "Nice out."

"I suppose so." I said quietly looking out on the same scene. Nothing was like the view I had at my home in San Clemente. Right on the water, the lull of the waves singing you to sleep.

"What's wrong?" He asked me.

I snapped out of my trance and looked into his eyes. I was more of a blue eyes kind of girl, but his big brown ones intrigued me.

What was I thinking?

I was just their casino host. Nothing more.

Besides, I already tried that once while I've worked here, mixing business with pleasure, and things got messy. "You should get some sleep. You'll need it for your show." I turned my gaze back towards Sin City.

I felt his hot breath on my neck as he leaned over my shoulder. I swallowed trying to ignore it as best as I could. "You know for such a beautiful person, you have the saddest pair of eyes I've ever seen."

And, with that, he left me there.

This wasn't fair. Who was he to think that he knew me? I grabbed my stuff and walked through the living room not saying anything as I and went down to my room ignoring the stares as the door shut behind me.

"Yo Danny?" Zacky yawned. "What's her story? How come we don't know her if she's your friend."

Danny rubbed his face still frustrated with Lucy and completely exhausted. "Because she mostly only came around with her grandma."

"Where are her parents?" Zacky asked thinking it was odd that she never mentioned them earlier and only her grandma.

"Somewhere in Europe with their two point five kids." Danny grumbled tired. "Who knows? Who cares."

Zacky shut his mouth knowing he was pushing it with Danny getting frustrated. He was one of their bodyguard for a reason.