Mermaid Tales Sneak Peek - Gina

Mermaid Tales Sneak Peek - Gina
I just like to do the fun stuff. If I'm not having fun with it, I'm not going to do it for the rest of my life. - Doja Cat

It had been a rough couple of years for Sheriff Gina Dawson. She had not had a real vacation or time away from the office since she had been elected. Sure, there had been an occasional weekend getaway. Her phone, however, was always nearby and on.

When her daughter convinced her to go on a weeklong vacation it was on the condition that the work phone remained behind. The undersheriff blocked all the deputies and non-emergency lines on Gina’s phone. He promised to unblock them after she returned to work, and not a moment before. To ensure that she did not unblock any of the numbers, he put a passkey on the phone and refused to tell her what it was.

Gina found herself sitting in a bar along the Vegas strip trying to decide what to do. She had already been to the casinos, taken in some shows, bought the touristy nick knacks. Now, in the middle of the afternoon, she tried to figure out what to do for the next few days.

“You want a beer?” a man asked.

She ignored the men next to her as she sipped on her bottle of water. There had been people coming and going over the past hour and she ignored them all. With her job, she spent enough time watching people, so now she was watching the Sports Center highlight reels.

Maybe she could take in a hockey game. She did not know a damn thing about the game, would not know a hat trick from a triple run and thought it looked like long stretches of very little activity interrupted by a street fight. What she did know was that when they lifted their shirts, she wanted to lick the sweat off their abs.

The new men next to her settled in with their drinks and started discussing the players on the screen. Obviously, they understood the game. It was also doubtful that they wanted to run their tongue along the players’ abs.

If nothing else, the highlight reels and the voices of the men next to her, would fuel her imagination later. She found herself trying to remember the last time that she had sex with a cock that did not require a charge and was attached to a man. With a sad shake of her head, she decided that was not a topic that she should dwell on.

Pulling out her phone, she searched for toy shops. Obviously, in Sin City, there would be plenty to choose from. As she scrolled through the options, a masculine finger touched her screen and opened a website.

“That one is only a few blocks from here.”

Looking up at a handsome man that had to be at least ten years younger than herself. He had shaggy dark blonde hair with a red tint that fell over his forehead. While his right eye was dark green, half of his left eye was dark brown. He had olive colored skin that covered muscles and hinted at abs that she would like to lick.

Sitting back, he grabbed his beer bottle, and his thin grey shirt was stretched tight across his chest. His abs and pecks were on full display and yes, she did want to lick them. And maybe whatever was beneath the silver belt buckle in those oh so tight jeans with a lovely bulge behind the zipper.

Chuckling, either at him or her, the other man tossed a hundred-dollar bill down on the bar and told the bartender that he’d see him later. The bartender waved before going back to his well-worn Clive Cussler novel. He slapped the man next to Gina on his back as he stood up and moved away from his barstool.

“Should I tell your sister that you might not be home tonight?”

He smiled and perfectly white teeth that almost looked fake appeared. Full lips tipped up in amusement making the harsh lights above them make the red of his scruff shine. He winked his intriguing dual colored eye at Gina.

“Maybe. We’ll have to see if she wants company, or just directions.”

Laughing, he walked towards the exit leading out to the lobby of the hotel. Gina’s man looked over where the bartender was still leaned against the back bar reading. Standing up, he leaned over and reached for another beer in the ice trough.

“Don’t even think it, Duff.”

He sat back down and grinned at the man. “When you’re done with that chapter, I’d like another beer.”

The man grunted and turned a page. Gina saw the slight movement of the hand holding the book. Apparently, Duff saw it too, because he started laughing before turning his attention back to her. He scratched his cheek with his middle finger, returning the gesture to the now grinning bartender.

“Would you like something to drink? Once he’s done with his chapter of course.”

“I’ll take an Old Fashioned.”

“A whiskey girl,” he grinned at her and she clenched her thighs together. “I like it.”

She grinned at him, unable to help herself. “It’s been a long time since I was called a girl.”

He leaned in close to her, “I bet you’re a good girl.”

She swallowed hard and suddenly understood the draw of being a good girl.

“Duff,” the bartender warned.

He put his hands up and leaned back against the low backrest of his barstool. “If she tells me to get lost, I will.”

Throwing caution to the wind, she held her hand out, “Gina.”

Smiling he took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. “Duff.”

“He’s usually harmless,” the bartender said. “But he has a fantasy of how he wants to die.”

“Fourteen men die every year from having a woman sit on his face.” He grinned and winked at her, “Lucky bastards.”

Gina shook her head as she laughed at him. She looked over as the bartender sat his book down with a cocktail napkin as a bookmark. “Does he typically pick up older women in here?”

“No,” he grinned at her and opened a fresh beer for Duff. “He’s usually just a flirt and leaves with his brother-in-law.” Placing the bottle in front of the man, he asked, “Is Kyle your brother-in-law or your sisters’ husband today?”

“I like him today, he got me into the gym, so I guess he can be my brother-in-law.”

Grabbing a glass for Gina’s Old Fashion, he rolled his eyes, “I’m sure he’s thrilled to hear that.”

“He better be. The fucking asshole married my sister behind my back.”

Laughing, he fixed Gina’s drink. “Her oldest two graduate high school this year. Don’t you think it’s time to let it go?”

Gina chuckled, “Brothers never let it go.”

“Personal experience?” he asked, placing a cardboard coaster down for her drink.

“I have a younger brother that still tries to protect me. I turned sixty last month-“

“There is no way that you’re sixty,” Duff objected.

“You get it, girl,” the bartender laughed.