The Hellion (collateralshot) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-03-19 22:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, agent carolina, dan smith |
Who: Dan Smith and Agent Carolina
What: What Happens In Vegas...
When: Weekend after Valentine's Day
Where: The Treasure Island Hotel; Las Vegas, NV
Rating/Warnings PG-13 for adult content
Status: Complete!
Dan had forgotten to pull the curtains closed over the windows last night and the sun was streaming into the room with enough intensity to blind a person. Dan tried to ignore it the best he could. Normally, he’d have been able to, but this morning’s hangover made that impossible. He hadn’t even opened his eyes yet and already his head felt as though it would split open at the top. His body ached and what the hell had he even done last night?
He remembered meeting up with Lee Eddy. He hadn’t seen her in years, and they had drank enough to make up for all that time lost. Four or five years’ worth in a single night. Easily. Everything after 9:00 o’clock was an absolute blur. Dan seemed to remember a red-head. Named for a state? Oh, yeah. Lee’s friend. The marine. What was her name? Virginia? No…Georgia? No…Carolina. Ohhh, yes. What a spitefire she was. Matched them drink for drink the entire night. Loud and rough around the edges and rather beautiful. Those green eyes that could bore right through you. But she was a wild one. Dan felt bad for whoever decided to try and tame that wildfire. They’d get burnt for sure.
Ugh, that damn sun. Dan groaned and rolled over, turning his back towards the window. It was about at that time he realized this was not the bed he’d spent the evening before in. It was bigger, plusher and far more comfortable. It was also about this time he realized he wasn’t alone in this bed. There was a warm presence next to him. Well, it wouldn’t have been the first time he’d woken up in a strange place with a strange woman and with a headache that could split mountains. Probably wouldn’t be the last either. It was just a damn shame he couldn’t remember the obvious fun he’d had.
Or could he?
Lee’s voice, full of drunk logic, bubbled up from somewhere in the back of his mind. They’d made their way to one of the other casinos on the strip, someway off from where they had started drinking the casino bars dry. ”Oh, look! Newlyweds get a free spa treatment here! Look! Look! Look at this wedding package! What a room! All they need is a marriage certificate. How fucking easy is that? We could totally do that, you know! It’d be a snap. And in like three days get it annulled. Totally easy!”
Oh no. Dan opened his eyes. There was no way in hell he had let Lee talk him into going into one of those cheap wedding chapels. Lee was a great gal. Lots of fun. But long ago she and Dan had agreed they simply wouldn’t work. They’d kill each other after the first month and marriage? Ha! No. No. Even drunk, Dan had more sense than that. And yet…yet there had been a ceremony. Dan remembered, hazily, being dragged up a short aisle with cheap red carpet, pink walls with white gauze everywhere. A man proclaiming to a room full of only two witnesses “I now declare you husband and wife.” And a spitefire of a red-head at his side laughing, but at the same time threatening that if he ever called her Scarlett...
Oh no. Dan risked the blinding light of that blonde bitch in the sky and turned to look over his shoulder. He hoped against hope to see the face of a stranger. Someone he’d picked up at one of those bars late into the night, that sexy Latin brunette he’d been chatting up before Lee had bumped into him. What he saw, though, was brilliant red hair, still wild from the night, draped over a bare pale shoulder. Carolina, the new (hopefully soon to be ex) Mrs. Smith.
It was movement, not the sun, that woke Carolina that morning. The first thing she was aware of was that she was not alone. Her shoulders tensed briefly before relaxing again. That’s right. She and Lee were in Vegas and their room only had the one bed. The other woman had found them a last-minute deal and hadn’t cared about sleeping arrangements. Sleeping had not been on their list of things to do, after all.
Which also explained the hangover that swept away the rest of her thoughts with the grace and poise of a thousand jackhammers. Operation Margarita had apparently been a bit too successful. Urgh. At least they had managed to stumble back to the room. Just how much did they drink last night, anyway? Carefully, so as not to jostle any more injured brain cells, she tried to count from the beginning.
It was all Lee’s idea. The pilot had been dumped by her most recent beau and had subsequently decided that a no-holds-barred trip to Vegas was just what the doctor ordered for a broken heart. As her best friend in arms, Carolina had been recruited to come along and play wingwoman. Two hours and two- no, three margaritas into the first casino they had run into one of Lee’s old friends. Smith. Dan Smith. He was something alright. Not someone she’d usually hang around, but he had a quirky sense of humor and his scruff wasn’t all that bad. Five minutes in, had been easy to see how he and Lee had become friends.
After that things got blurry. There were flashes of walking down the strip, falling over one another laughing, and… a pink room with white gauze?! The hell? ”C’mon, Lina! It’s only for three days! Think of the free spa. Discounted show tickets. A suite room! For free! It’s a great deal!” Oh fuck no. No no no. The blurry images began to solidify into a terrifying flip-book. Lee helping her into a rented (now stolen?) white taffeta dress with a blinding amount of sequins and lace. Being pulled down the aisle to stand beside a man in black and and a man dressed like Elvis. Laughing as a ring was slipped on her finger-- ”... see how well you pick up your teeth with broken fingers.”
Green eyes snapped open, only to immediately close again with a painful cringe. One hand came up to shield her next attempt from the blinding sun. Shit. This was definitely not the Mirage. Worse, she now had an up-close view of the gold band that had only been a blurred shape in her memory. Carolina wished it still were. Fucking Lee and her fucking deals and- oh god. That was her bra hanging off the edge of the television. She blamed the copious amount of alcohol she had consumed the night before for the fact that only now had she realized that she was indeed quite naked.
With a growl that was only slightly more pissed than pain-filled, Carolina ran her hand down her face. She did her best to ignore the way the metal caught against her skin. Cautiously, she twisted beneath the sheet to face her new husband. Dark hair. Lazy stubble. Smith, then. At least he’s not Elvis. Or Lee. The woman would likely have joined the countless spouses murdered on their wedding night. Now she’d just be collateral damage.
Falling back against the pillows, Carolina studied Smith’s face. She wondered if she had the same look of facing the gallows that was currently written all over his face. Probably. “Morning, Smith,” she managed, voice still hoarse and slurred with sleep. “I want a divorce.”
Very forward, this woman. Whatever. It wasn’t as though Dan could blame her. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to wake up married himself. Weren’t there laws about marrying two people who were clearly out of their minds blitzed? Still, the least she could do was call him by his first name.
“Mornin’ t ya too, darlin’.” The sound of his own voice sent another wave of jackhammers through Dan’s skull. He groaned and rolled onto his back so that he could press both of his hands against his eyes. “Christ. I’m never gonna let Lee talk me inta anythin’ again. The fuck is she anyway?”
Lee was clearly not in the room with them, which was the only blessing the morning had to offer. Considering both Dan and Carolina were buck ass naked between the tangled sheets, it was more than obvious they had consummated their marriage. The more awake Dan became, the more he started to remember the night before. Lee had left them alone at some point during the evening, smirking as she’d walked out the door and making some kind of off-color pun that involved the song Here Comes the Bride. Classy woman, Lee was.
The sun was still far too bright and Dan was still far too hungover. The only remedy of which did, unfortunately, require him to get out of bed. With a grunt, Dan sat up. He took another moment of just sitting where he was, rubbing at his face before he found the energy to pull himself the rest of the way out of bed. From there, Dan made no attempt at modesty as he made his way to the bathroom. He was mindful to close the door while he relieved himself. Business taken care of and hands washed, Dan made his way back into the bedroom proper.
He was aware that he had not acquiesced to Carolina’s demand for a divorce. Oh, he would once he’d eaten something, but for now he rather liked the look she was giving him. She looked like a hungover bear. Very dangerous. Also, very sexy.
Dan located his boxer shorts and pulled them on. He also found his pants (somehow dangling from a corner of one of the room’s wall hangings, what the fuck?). He pulled a box of cigarettes from the pocket and then tossed them on the bed. Cigarette, unlit, placed between his lips, Dan picked up the phone and dialed the front desk. “Mornin’,” he told the much-too-perky woman who answered. “I’d like t’ order room service fer the honeymoon suite…” pause as the woman happily informed him that the room came with breakfast brought to them in the morning and would the groom like to have it sent up now? “Oh, there’s a complimentary breakfast?” He looked at Carolina and wiggled his brows as though that was some kind of bonus. “Yeah, we’d like it t’ be sent up right away. Also, think ya kin add a bottle o’ Jack t’ the order?” Another pause as the woman, far less enthused, told him yes, she would have it added to the order. “Very good. Jus’ knock on the door an’ we’ll come get it.”
Room service and a bit of the hair of the dog on its way, Dan hung up the phone and made his way to the balcony to have a smoke.
Carolina glared at the man. She was no one’s darlin’. No matter what was on her finger. She tried to run a hand through her hair, only to have her fingers stalled shortly after they’d begun. Frowning, she pulled out a mangled hair pin. It prompted another flash of Lee fixing her hair while she attempted to adjust the neckline of the gaudy dress. She sent the pin flying in the direction of the bedside table as Dan asked about the devil in wannabe-cupid-clothing
“Probably hiding, if she knows what’s good for her.” The woman growled, carefully sitting up. Her head was still pounding like someone had convened a military tattoo in her skull. Oh, she wouldn’t kill Lee when she finally got her hands on the damn flygirl. No, that would be far too merciful a punishment. Carolina would make sure Lee rued the day she’d ever heard the word deal. This little fiasco was going to cost her more than a night or two in a honeymoon suite.
Green eyes moved back to Dan, following him as he headed to the bathroom. She was well aware he had not replied to her divorce comment. Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t, right? That sarcastic avoidance couldn’t have been his reply. If Lee had somehow managed to get her hitched to her one friend that didn’t believe in divorce, she’d be willing to take the financial hit and dump the body in the desert on her way home. The unfortunate thing was that minus the drunken nuptials, this would have been a great start to her vacation; a night of fun, drinks, sex, and a free hotel room. There was something criminal about the fact that there was a handsome, naked man in her (their?) room and she was unable to fully enjoy the moment because she was legally married to a fucking stranger. God damn it.
Pushing aside the sheet, Carolina carefully stood to fetch her clothes. Her feet landed on heavily sequined fabric. She paused for a moment before deciding to get dressed before burning the damn thing. The bra was plucked from the TV and donned quickly enough, but her underwear was being a bit more fickle. Dan emerged from the bathroom just as she managed to fish them out of the comforter. She surreptitiously untied them beneath the sheet before slipping them on. Apparently, they’d had a lot more fun last night than she’d originally thought. Another memory she’d probably never entirely recover. Regrettably.
The waggled brows at the mention of a deal only made Carolina glare at him again. She’d had enough deals this trip already. Granted, the food would be nice, but she would have preferred a bottle of aspirin to a bottle of whiskey. Oh well. She’d make due.
Looking around the room, she tried to locate the rest of her clothes. Or her purse. Even if the room was comped, surely the hotel required some sort of credit card, just in case. “Did they say anything about the extra charges?” Carolina called toward the balcony. Her clothes had to be around here somewhere. Honeymoon or not, she was not about to leave the room wearing that… that thing. It was a miracle Lee had managed to get her in it in the first place.
“Nope,” Dan answered through the open balcony doors. He took a slow drag on the cigarette before further saying, “if there are, we’ll charge’em t’ Lee.” He flicked his ashes into a conveniently placed ashtray on a little table. He watched her as she hunted around the room, presumably for her clothes. He smirked a little bit. “I remember somethin’ ‘bout a duffle bag. Think Lee stuffed our clothes inta it while we changed last night. Check the front room. Might be there.” Better be there. Dan sure as hell wasn’t going to wear a tux all fucking day. Oh, fuck had he bought that damn thing?!
Dan blew out another puff of smoke and shook his head. “Relax, wouldja?” He called out again “This ain’t permanent. I don’ wanna be married anymore than you do. No offense t’ya, Carolina, but I ain’t good husband material.” The whole killing for money thing? Not a profession most women wanted in a potential spouse. “Part o’ the whole plan was t’ get an annulment or somethin’ before we left. We’ll go our separate ways an’ what ‘appens in Vegas stays in Vegas. So chill out. Breakfast’s comin’, along with a little booze t’ take the edge off.”
At the suggestion, Carolina’s head turned toward the adjoining door. She didn’t remember a duffle bag, but it made sense. A few minutes later she’d found the bag in question. A cursory check showed two sets of clothes and- Gotcha. Letting out a long breath, she pulled the dog tags from her purse and set them back over her neck. Then she picked up the pistol, weighing it briefly in her hand to make sure that Lee hadn’t also talked them into some sort of marksman contest. At this point, she was not about to put anything past the woman. Thankfully, the magazine was still just as full as it had been yesterday afternoon. Making sure the safety was still on, she returned it to the purse and headed back into the bedroom.
Dan was still smoking on the balcony when she returned. Her purse went on the nightstand and she tossed the duffel bag onto the bed. She could hear him telling her to relax. What was it with people telling her to relax? It wasn’t as if she were incapable of it; she could damn well chill out when she wanted to. As if to prove her point, she headed out to the balcony and plucked the cigarette from his fingers. Carolina had not smoked since she had sent in her application to Annapolis, but she was not about to back down now.
She took a short drag and looked down at the cigarette. The nostalgic small burst of nicotine was already starting to kick in. Damn. She blew the smoke off to the side before handing it back to him. Best not to get back into that particular habit. Green eyes studied Dan. “Annulment, huh?” That sounded even better than divorce.
Dan watched casually as Carolina went about her business. He noted the way she placed her purse on the night stand and yet tossed the duffel bag on the bed. He noted how the purse looked as though it weighed more than an average female’s purse likely would have, as though it were carrying something quite heavy. This thought was confirmed when he noted the muted clunk the purse made when it was set down. Knowing Carolina was a former Marine, Dan put two and two together.
His own weapon had been left in its shoulder holster in his room at the Luxor. He wasn’t here on a job, so there hadn’t been any reason to carry it. Never mind the bouncers at the casinos would have been all over his shit if he had even attempted to come in with a concealed weapon, no matter what kind of permits he had. Interesting that Carolina had gotten away with it. And there was that double standard. Who the fuck was going to search a woman’s purse at a casino and not look like a perv or a thief?
Whatever. He was more interested about the fact that Carolina felt as though she needed to have her gun right next to the bed. There was something kind of hot about that, even if it did smack of military training. Oh jesus. He really had married a marine. She’d probably shoot him between the eyes if she ever found out what he did for a living. Wouldn’t that be a cryin’ shame?
He let her snatch his cigarette from him without protest. She’d earned it. He did raise a curious brow when she handed it back to him, however. It wasn’t as though he didn’t have an entire pack in his pocket. Again. Whatever. Dan took the cigarette back and took a long drag. “Yeah. Annulment. Can’t be that hard, right? Never done this before.”
“That’s reassuring.” Carolina intoned. Nice to know there wasn’t another Mrs. Smith out there that might take offense at being replaced. She was also sure that they were not the first (nor the last) unfortunate couple to wake up hitched in Vegas. Which meant that there was likely a simple enough procedure to undo it as well. Or at least a precedent.
Still, Dan was taking this whole thing a lot better than the average joe. She wondered briefly what he did for a living. He had mentioned something about a bar last night. A bartender? Maybe. It didn’t matter, anyway. In a few days she’d be home, single, and probably threatening bodily harm if this weekend was ever mentioned again. Which was not to say that she was above a bit of revenge in the meantime.
“You know this room has a pretty nice view of the strip. It’s a pity Lee didn’t get a chance to see it.” Carolina leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms as if she were indeed taking in the sights. “Maybe we should see if we can extend our stay another night. At least until we can get a hold of her. And her wallet.” She glanced at Dan out of the corner of her eye. He had no qualms charging a bottle of booze to the flygirl, but she was thinking a bit higher. A four-figure lesson would hit home a lot harder than a left hook. Plus that way she wouldn’t have to worry about assault charges.
Adding a few more zeros to the end of their bill and then saddling Lee with it was a-okay with Dan. He smirked at her as he blew out another cloud of smoke. “I kin get behind that. Should raid tha mini bar too. Order up some more room service. There’s a trip t’ the spa in this package, right? Let’s see ‘ow many extras we kin pile on that, yeah? Separately, o’ course, unless ya wanna get a doubles massage,” he smirked at her a little playfully.
Carolina returned the smirk with one of her own. Good. Adding to Lee’s bill would be much easier with his help. The red had faded completely at this point, settling into the anticipation of revenge. “A doubles massage, huh?” She let her gaze travel down his figure and back up again. Well, at least Lee’d had the drunken sense to get her hitched to a damn good looking man. Even if he didn’t have much of a beard. “Does that include a happy ending? Or two?” Maybe that little bit of nicotine really was helping her relax. All the more reason to keep the habit kicked.
Ahh, now, this was more like it. They had the room for a couple of days, plenty of time for them to figure out ways to rack up the bill before dumping it on Lee to handle. He did have to hand it to Lee, though. She certainly had found him a stunningly beautiful wife. Sure, Carolina might break every bone in his body so much as look at him, but to Dan, that just heightened the appeal.
And judging by the way she was letting her eyes wander over his body, clad only in a pair of boxers, he got the impression that she was of a similar opinion. Well, they had to wait a few days to get the annulment, they may as well enjoy not only the room, but all the other carnal benefits of waking up married in Vegas.
Dan pushed away from the balcony railing and stepped up to the open door, his body brushing suggestively against Carolina’s. His grin was devilish. “Why wait for a massage?” He asked.
Considering the only thing she had put on from the duffle bag had been her dog tags, he was likely getting quite a good view of her as well. “Does that mean you’re already happy to see me?” Carolina couldn’t help but tease. She had always been a fan of cheesy pickup lines. Clever ones were even better. Not that it really mattered at the moment. The courthouse wouldn’t be open until after the weekend was over so there was no point in pushing the dissolution any further until then. Lee would turn up eventually; she wouldn’t be able to pass up the opportunity to point and laugh at the chaos she had created. Nothing to do but wait and rack up the bill. Time to hurry up and wait, then.
“I was actually thinking of taking a shower while we wait for breakfast to arrive.” Arms dropping to her sides, Carolina pushed away from the doorframe to turn the brush into something more substantial. Only for a second, though. The next moment she was slipping back into the room and heading to the bathroom without so much as a backwards glance. “You coming?”
That substantial brush - almost a rub - made Dan very happy to see her, and the thin fabric of his boxer shorts were not enough to hide that fact. He grinned a sly devilish grin as he followed after her, not waiting until he reached the bathroom to shed those shorts. “I wouldn’t miss it,” he said.