Austin

Austin begins to worry whether kissing Anna was a good idea. Anna seemed to enjoy it, and he did too, but now she’s being a bit distant. Maybe she needs a little help coming out of her shell, he thinks. Focusing on the view of the desert rolling past, Austin suddenly comes up with an idea.

“Hey guys,” he says, glancing at Anna and Vanessa, “And gals...since we have a few days until our L.A. show, why don’t we stay in Vegas for a night or two?” His face breaks into a grin. The idea is received well amongst the group, everyone matching Austin’s excitement. Everyone except Anna.

“Hell yeah, Vegas baby!” Tino shouted.

Once the excitement dies down, Austin ventures over to Anna, wondering what she’s worried about.


Anna

Oh great, Vegas. Anna thinks to herself. She was never much of a partier. In fact, she’s never even been drunk in her life. After a few seconds of thinking, she looks up and sees Austin walking towards her.

“Hey, Anna. Are you excited to party?!” She looks at him and shrugs. “Wait, are you even old enough to party? How old are you?” Everybody turns around and looks at Anna, waiting for her to answer.

“Twenty-two.” she replies quietly.

Alan bursts out into song. “I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I’M FEELING TWENTY-TWOOOO.” Everyone on the bus stares at him. “What? It’s my guilty pleasure song...” Anna and Austin burst out laughing simultaneously, and the rest follow seconds later.

The bus pulls up to the Bellagio hotel, where they all will be staying for the next two days. They all crowd around the check-in desk.

“Hi, I’d like to book two rooms with a view of the fountains, please,” Austin says to the clerk.

“Let’s see...” the petite blonde behind the desk murmurs, searching for available rooms, “It looks like we have two rooms with a view, but they’re conjoined by a door. Is that okay?”
“We’ll take it.” As everyone reaches the two rooms, Austin turns to the group. “So, I figured I would let the girls have one room and the guys have the other. Just so you two girls don’t have to witness Alan walking around in the nude 90% of the time.”

“And Tino’s burrito farts,” Aaron adds. Phil puts his hand over his mouth to cover his snort.

“Well, I’d much rather deal with a couple farts and my boyfriend’s nude body than her,” Vanessa sneers at Anna. Anna rolls her eyes.

“Just grab your shit and come in, Nessie.” Anna emphasizes Vanessa’s loathed petname. Austin tries and fails to hide his laugh. Smirking to herself and leaving Vanessa in the hallway with her mouth gaping, Anna starts unpacking her clothes into the dresser.

“Woah, woah woah. Aren’t we going to decide who gets the dresser or the closet?” Vanessa stands in the doorway with her hands on her hips, glaring at Anna.

“Listen here you little shit,” Anna spits back at her, “I can be every bit as bitchy as you if I need to be, if not more. So let’s not let it get that far, okay? For now, you’re just going to have to deal. We’re sharing this room for two days, and unless you want to wake up with one eyebrow and your makeup in the toilet, I suggest you drop the attitude and play nice.” Vanessa’s jaw drops, shocked at Anna’s retaliation.

“I’ll take the closet, then,” she grumbles. They unpack in silence, until suddenly, the door joining their room to the boys’ bursts open, banging against the wall thunderously. Alan struts in with his hands over his eyes.

“Is everyone dressed? Yes? Good!” He uncovers his eyes and grins at Anna and Vanessa. They stare at him incredulously. “Holy shit, did someone die in here? Why is it so quiet?”

“Yeah, I’m surprised the claws are still retracted!” Tino calls from the other room. Anna hears Austin guffaw.

“Anyway, we’re all going out for drinks in ten minutes. Anna, Austin says you can stay behind if you’re more comfortable.” Something inside Anna stirs.

“No, no I’ll go.” Alan grins before slamming the door shut again.

“Oh, miss goodie-good is deciding to take off her halo for once, huh?” Vanessa sneers, pulling out a skimpy black dress from her duffel bag and holding it up to her body. She casts it on the bed and strips off her shirt and pants. Noticing Anna staring, she smirks. “What, ever seen a woman in just her underwear?” Anna rolls her eyes. Just 48 hours. You can do this.

Pulling out the one dress she owns from her suitcase, Anna eyes it skeptically. It’s a rather daring dress--not quite as skimpy as Vanessa’s--but still a little revealing for her taste. She’d bought it on a whim, not thinking she’d ever get much use out of it. But tonight, she will. Stripping off her clothes, she pulls it on. It accentuates all the right assets, clinging in just the right places. It’s a striking red color, and it hangs just below her rear. Running a comb through her hair, she turns to face Vanessa, who’s already donned her dress as well. Anna steps into a pair of black stiletto heels and adds a touch of perfume behind her ears. She can’t help but notice Vanessa glancing at her in what she perceives to be envy. The conjoining door opens again, and this time it’s Austin. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees Anna.

“Wow, Anna... you look fantastic,” he breathes. Anna flushes, smiling. Vanessa notices and clears her throat as if to say, “look at me!” Austin glances at her momentarily, but fixes his eyes back on Anna. “Are you ready?”

As they pull up to the club, Anna’s heart rate picks up. She has no clue what to expect. She wrings her hands nervously as she enters the crowded club, the smell of alcohol and sweat assaulting her nose in a powerful wave. The music is deafening. Anna can feel the bass resonating in her chest, and after overcoming the shock upon entering, she follows everyone to the bar. Everyone orders their drinks, and Austin turns to Anna.

“What would you like, Anna? My treat!” He shouts over the music. Anna’s stunned, not having the slightest idea of what to order.

“I’ll have what you’re having!” Austin raises his eyebrows as if to say, “You sure about that?” He turns back to the bartender and orders. Anna takes her first sip. The alcohol slides down her throat, leaving a slight burning sensation in its wake. It’s a sweet drink, with a slightly sour aftertaste. Anna’s head starts to feel warm.

“It’s good.” Anna grins, and Austin clinks his glass to hers. The drink is very strong. Anna finds herself starting to feel a little dizzy after drinking only half of it. But she’s happy. Very, very happy.

“Austin, let’s dance!” She grabs his hand and pulls him onto the dance floor, giggling and teetering slightly on her stilettos. As they dance, Anna finishes the last of her drink just as Austin does, and he excuses himself to get more. Suddenly, Anna feels a hand on her behind. She spins around to see who it is. It’s a stranger.

“Do you mind?” She shouts over the blaring music, taking a step away. The man takes a step closer, baring his crooked teeth in an attempt to smile. He grabs her hand and yanks her into him, enclosing her in a concrete embrace with his arms. Anna can feel his arousal through his pants, and she struggles to break free, but he holds on too tight. Anna frantically scans the crowd for Austin, anybody. She spots him at the bar, and what she sees makes her see red.

He’s standing with Vanessa, and their lips are locked. Anna’s eyes fill with tears, and she whips her head back around to face the man restraining her. She just wants to get out of here. She struggles even harder now. Suddenly, the man’s head snaps back from a punch. Stunned, he stumbles back, releasing Anna from his grip. Anna sees Alan, but he doesn’t see her. He’s too bent on finishing the creep. He stalks forward toward the man, who is now trying to escape in the crowd. He catches him, grabs him by the shirt, and yells something at him. It’s too loud to hear what he says, but Anna can’t imagine it’s good. Overwhelmed, Anna flees to the front doors, not bothering to look back at who’s following. Her makeup runs down her face from tears.

Austin

Austin breaks free from Vanessa’s lips.

“Vanessa, what the fuck?”

“Don’t even act like you didn’t like it,” she purrs. “You want me, Austin.”

“No, actually, I don’t. You’re a bitch, and I’m telling Alan.”

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” she warns, pulling Austin back toward her. “I’ll just say you kissed me. Who’s he going to believe? You, or me?” She grins malevolently. “I’ve got him wrapped around my finger, just like you.” Austin scoffs in disgust, shoving past her into the crowd in search of Anna. He spots Alan rubbing his hand.

“Hey, have you seen Anna?” Alan looks up wearily at Austin.

“There was a man. He was all up on her, dude. I saw her trying to escape, but he wouldn’t let her. So I let him have it,” he says, holding up his swollen hand. Austin feels a surge of anger, and he leans closer to Alan.

“Where is he?” he growls. Alan shakes his head.

“He’s gone, man. I think I scared the shit out of him.” Austin runs a hand through his hair.

“Well where’s Anna then? Didn’t you see where she went?”

“She was upset. I think she might’ve left.” Austin sighs.

“Thanks for sticking up for her, man. I’m gonna go find her.”

Anna

Anna strips off her heels in frustration as she runs from the club. She takes a wrong turn and ends up in an alley. Suddenly, she feels a hand on her shoulder. It spins her around. She’s face to face with the same man from the club.

“I wasn’t done with you, sweetie,” he slurs, his breath smelling strongly of alcohol. He’s tall and muscular, and his dark eyes bore into hers. He looks her up and down greedily. The alcohol Anna drank is still making her fuzzy, and she teeters a bit.

“Get away from me.” The alcohol is making her brave.

“Aw, c’mon, baby. Let’s just get you home and we can...get to know each other, huh?” Anna feels a surge of adrenaline as she realizes what he means. She smacks his hand off of her, but he grabs her hand and pushes her against the dirty alley wall. He clutches her face with his big hand and slams his lips onto hers. A scream builds up in Anna’s throat, and she turns her head away from him, letting it loose.

“Your friend’s not here to save you this time, sweetheart,” he murmurs into her ear. His breath is too hot and the weight of his body on hers is too much. She’s completely immobile.

“No, but I am.” A familiar voice snarls before the man goes down from a punch.

“Austin!” Anna screams in surprise. Austin’s on top of the man on the ground, his hands around his throat.

“If you ever, ever touch her again, you will have nothing to piss out of. Do you hear me?” He growls. The man’s eyes bug out from the pressure on his neck, and with what little mobility he has, he shakes his head yes. Austin gets off of him and joins Anna. He puts his hand around her waist and starts to guide her back to the car. She shoves him away, tears brimming over her eyes again.

“Why don’t you go back to your girlfriend. I’ll catch a cab,” she spits. Austin doesn’t have a chance to say anything else before she’s gone in a taxi.

Austin

Fuck, Austin mutters under his breath as he watches Anna’s taxi speed off. Just then, everyone appears from out of the club. They must have all heard what happened. To Austin’s annoyance, Vanessa has her arms wrapped around Alan’s waist, as if nothing happened. She wears a smirk.

“Where’s Anna?” Tino inquires.

“She left. Probably back to the hotel.” Everyone piles back into the car. The ride to the hotel is silent.


Austin softly knocks on Anna’s door. He’d instructed Vanessa to hang out in the guys’ room until he could calm Anna down.

“Anna?” It’s silent for a moment, until he hears the door quietly unlock. Anna opens the door a crack and peers out at him. She’s switched her dress for a t-shirt and pajama pants, and her eyes are guarded and cold. She’s been crying.

“What do you want, Austin?”

“Can I please come in? I need to talk to you.” Anna hesitates for a moment. With a sigh, she lets him in. They sit on the bed.

“You have five minutes. Go.”

“Okay. Well, let me just start off by saying that I’m sorry for what you went through tonight with that pervert. I can’t express to you enough how angry that made me. No one should ever have to go through that.” He closes his eyes in frustration, remembering the moment. “I shouldn’t have left you alone, Anna. I’m sorry.” Anna’s eyes seem to melt a bit, so he continues. “Anna, when I went to get us more drinks, Vanessa swooped in on me. I think she meant for you to see what happened. She kissed me, Anna. Please, believe that I would not do anything to hurt you like that. I pushed her away. She pounced on me, I...I didn’t...” Austin’s voice catches in his throat, tears welling up in his eyes. Anna’s face softens as she places her hand on his. She places her other hand under his chin, lifting his face back up to meet hers. Leaning in, she kisses him once, softly.

“Stay with me tonight?” She asks, a small smile creeping onto her lips. Austin feels a wave of relief.

“What about Vanessa?” Suddenly, as if right on cue, the devil herself barges in.

“Sorry, did I interrupt something?” Vanessa snickers, flopping down onto her bed and pulling out her phone. Austin hears Anna sigh softly, knowing she’s more than fed up with Vanessa’s obnoxiousness. But then, she does something that catches Austin off guard.

“You know, Nessie, I would’ve thought you’d want to spend the night with your boyfriend, not mine.”

“Yours is a much better kisser.” Austin notices Anna’s face turn two shades darker.

“Anna...” he warns, alarmed at her sudden change of mood.

“Get. Out,” she hisses, the heat of her glare practically boring a hole through Vanessa. Vanessa smirks, but she leaves the room. Anna heaves a sigh.

“Come here,” Austin murmurs, pulling her into him. “Let’s lie down, okay? Forget about her.” Anna nods, crawling under the covers.

“There’s just one thing,” she says quietly. Austin looks at her encouragingly. “I sleep topless.”

“So do I. What a coincidence!” Austin takes the bottom of Anna’s shirt and pulls it over her head, leaving her in just a bra. Anna does the same to Austin. Lying down together now, Austin pulls Anna closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. The warmth of their bodies mingle in a comforting embrace.

“You’re safe now, baby,” he whispers. He brushes her hair out of her face and places a kiss on her forehead. He lets his hand caress her face for a moment before letting it travel down to her neck. Her skin is silky beneath his worn, calloused fingers. Anna copies him, trailing her fingers around his chest in slow circles. Their lips meet simultaneously, and they kiss slowly, softly. Austin takes her lower lip between his, sucking gently. He feels her smile, breaking the kiss. She sighs softly and nestles her head into the crook of his neck.

“Your bunk smelled like you...but this...this is much better,” she murmurs, her voice muffled by his skin. She inhales, breathing in the scent of him. Austin finds himself smiling, wishing he could pause this moment and stay in it forever.