i left olivia in the bathroom when i left this morning. she wasn't feeling so good and seeing her on the floor, lying sleepily against the cool the tiles sent dread slamming into my stomach. she's going to take a test today and i have to prepare myself for the outcome... whatever it is. i told her i loved her and that i'll stay out of trouble... even though i knew the second part was a lie.

the aria casino is gorgeous. it stands tall, looking shiny and beautiful with its subtle curves. if i ever come back to vegas, this is where i'll stay. olivia would love it, too. with another mutter of disapproval, darryl pulls up in front of the casino.

"are you sure you know what you're doing, seth?" jackson asks from the backseat.

i nod. "this is the only way to keep don and matt out of my life until the fight."

"and after the fight, then what happens?" darryl chimes in, his voice patronizing and aggressive.

i shrug my shoulder and open my door. "we'll see."

darryl throws up his hands in exasperation. "we'll see?"

i slip from the car and straighten my black tee. both jackson and selena follow suit, but darryl remains seated, his fingers gripping the steering wheel.

"you coming?" jackson calls to him over my shoulder.

"i want no part of this."

i push my door and it slams shut. i don't need darryl's help, anyway. at most places, he sits like an angel on my shoulder, telling me what to do and what not to do. i can't have that today. i need to revert back to a time when i didn't give a shit, to a time when i only had jackson and my own free will.

it doesn't take long for us to find the pools. selena is quite the wiz with her phone and managed to find directions directly to it. i told jackson not to bring her, but now i'm glad we did. it saves us having to sweet talk our way through hotel staff in order to get in. instead we walk around like we've been here for years and when curious stares linger too long in our direction, we throw our arms around passing drunks and pretend we're a part of whatever they've got going on. it's not fool proof, but it works.

the pool is full for this time of the morning and there are a lot more intoxicated people than i anticipated. i scan the area, looking up and down the ellipse pool for a bald headed man who's probably smiling too hard, laughing loudly, and being a total dick.

"there!" selena points out. "over by the bar."

sure enough, in the enclosed area on the other side of the pool was an obnoxious, bald-headed don, laughing his ass off as he pinches his lady friend on the ass. she squeals and swats him away. she's beautiful-long, golden hair, a killer body, and long legs. i feel sorry for the girl... not because she's stupid enough to mix with don, but because i'm going to use her to tear this place apart. his entire team is there, too-from his coach right down to his sparring partner. if shit goes down, that might be a problem for us. jackson and i can't take on six guys, no matter how good we are. however, i'm hoping this doesn't escalate to a physical level... or don and i are both done for.

"all right, selena, go have fun. jackson and i have some shit to do."

she slips in front of me-preventing me from stepping any closer to the bar. "like hell, you're going to need me."

i cross my arms tightly over my chest. "i'm going to need you?"

she nods. "that's right. i saw you looking at that girl. if you want her attention, you're going to need my help."

jackson snorts, making me chuckle. "i'm going to need your help getting a girl's attention? jackson's right, you are crazy."

selena narrows her eyes. "listen to me, mr. macho, i have no doubt that you can get her attention, but don is going to see you before you get within reach. when he does, there goes your plan."

"what are you suggesting?"

without a word, she grips the hem of her shirt and pulls her sky blue tank top over her head. she stuffs it against my chest and adjusts her tiny, tiny white bikini. "i'll get his attention."

the fabric exposes large portions of her generous breasts and is so thin i can just see the dark circles of her nipples underneath. i clear my throat and look away, peering over my shoulder at jackson. he shrugs, all with a lazy smile on his face. i would be forcing my shirt onto olivia and dragging her ass back to the hotel if the roles were changed.

"he doesn't mind," selena says, glaring around me at jackson. "we're not anything, right?"

he doesn't answer straight away, but when he does his voice is dark and punishing. "right."

with a smirk, she unbuttons her denim skirt and pushed it down her legs before scooping it up with her toes and wrapping her phone in the fabric.

"this is my plan now. get the other girl's attention and then go along with whatever i do." she thrusts her stuff at me and turns away. before she leaves she quickly turns back, her eyes suddenly pleading. "shit is probably going to get a little weird, so whatever you do, don't tell olivia. she'll hate me forever."

"can't you at least tell me what the plan is so i know?"

she shakes her head and teases her hair with her fingers. "if i tell you, you're not going to like it, but i promise you it will piss don off more than anything you come up with on your own." she winks over her shoulder before strutting off toward the bar with a seductive sway on her hips.

she knows exactly what she's doing... she knows exactly how to get a man's attention and don is going to eat it up.

jackson and i circle the pool, going counter-clockwise until we're at the opposite side of the bar. we take up two stools against the wooden bench and order a beer each. i wasn't planning on drinking mine, but it seems jackson has another idea. he downs his beer in less than thirty seconds and signals for another.

"thirsty, jacks?"

he flips me off and goes back to his beer. i guess this is harder on him than he thought it would be. selena's in view, casually strolling along the poolside and using her hand to shield her eyes from the morning sun. she slowly turns her body and steps toward the bar. then she stops and nods her head at something on the far side of the pool.

"beer?" she shouts, drawing the attention of every bar patron in sight. "a pitcher of beer?"

selena gives her phantom friends a wave and a thumbs up. then, she jogs, her breasts jiggling, as she makes her way toward the opening where don sits. i look at him-his attention is no longer on the girl beside him whose ass he was squeezing a few minutes ago. it's on selena-his attention is sticking to her like hot glue, and judging by the way jackson downs his second glass and orders another tells me he noticed, too.

selena leans against the bar beside don, jutting her ass out as she chats with a bartender. he dismisses the other blonde and shifts closer to selena. she peers over don's shoulder, tilting her head towards the pouting blonde, who comes to rest against the bar beside me. i guess i'm up.

the other blonde orders a martini and i wait for my chance to engage her in conversation. she handled her dismissal like a lady. there was no bitterness, no swearing, or cat fighting-only an understanding nod of the head. a bartender places her drink down and walks away. she grasps the stem between her two slender fingers and twists it slowly.

"you're not going to drink all by yourself, are you?" i ask, angling my knees in her direction. i lean my elbow against the bar and smile at her. my smile feels forced and fake, but i doubt she'll notice. the girl turns her head to me and her entire body tightens. her lips part as her eyes take me in and she lets out a slow, steady exhale. she didn't notice.

"not if i don't have to." she slides her martini glass along the bar until it's up against mine. just like that, i have the fly in my web. she inches closer and her eyes flare.

"what's your name?" she asks, tapping a long, slender index finger on my thigh.

"seth." i point over my shoulder. "this is my friend, jackson."

he gives a half-assed groan.

"i'm tahney."

"i see you got dumped there, tahney," jackson states and a small laugh rolls off the end of his sentence.

i roll my eyes. we're supposed to be seducing her, not depressing her. idiot. tahney's body stiffens and she reaches for her cup. she takes a long sip and returns it to the surface.

"he's not going to be able to please her, anyway," he adds. "she's into some really strange shit."

fucking hell. the girl giggles, forgoing her previous discomfort. "how do you know?"

jackson shrugs with a wicked smile. "she gets around-and don russell's dick is tiny. he'd never be able to satisfy a girl like her-or you."

we all look at don. he presses a small cube of ice to selena's chest and drops it into her cleavage. the melting ice slides between her breasts and down over her firm stomach. she doesn't move, nor do her muscles tremble. that's some amazing control. i have to give her that. i pant and wince like a bitch when it's ice bath time. i can't stand cold.

jackson spits under his breath. "tolerance to ice. i taught her that, you know."

i shake my head. of course he did. god forbid he teach a girl a normal trick like, i don't know, how to give a blow job. not everyone likes to play with ice... blow jobs, on the other hand, everyone wants one of those. suddenly the music fades out and the conversation between selena and don can be heard. i strain my ears to listen for a hint on what i'm supposed to do next.

"you look very familiar," he says to her. "are you sure we haven't met before?"

selena licks her cherry colored bottom lip, keeping her eyes locked on his. "i'm sure."

tahney perches between my legs, rubbing my thigh through my jeans. i look sideways at jackson, who shakes his head and goes back to sipping on his beer. it's all for the greater good. so olivia and i can be left alone. she'll understand.

selena leans in close and don doesn't move. he's completely entranced by her, caught up in her spell. i hear jackson growl beside me, but i don't move. as their lips are about to graze, her irises flick to mine and she pulls her head away, gasping.

"seth marc?" she squeals, fleeing don's grip. she bounds over to me looking all horny and excited. it makes me uncomfortable. "oh my god! i can't believe it."

tahney swears under her breath and goes to grab her glass, but i snatch her wrist, keeping her in place. i can feel the uneven strum of her pulse and i hate that i'm affecting someone who isn't olivia.

"i'm selena," she states, clasping her chest. "i'm such a big fan."

it takes all of my will power not to laugh or roll my eyes. she's good at acting, that's for sure. selena turns to tahney and the gleam she gets in her eyes sets me on edge.

"i love your hair." selena runs her fingers through tahney's hair, tugging slightly. "is it natural?"

tahney nods, pinching the tip of selena's hair between her fingers in return. "yours is natural, too?"

i'm no idiot. i've seen this before and now i know exactly where selena's going with her plan. why take one girl from don when you can take two? i'm not sure if i'm terrified by her genius or impressed. i wonder how many times she's done something like this. it rolls off her shoulders too naturally for it to be her first time. selena moves her face closer until her lips are barely an inch away from tahney's. i watch intently because... because i'm a fucking guy and it's happening right in front of me. before their lips touch, selena moves her mouth to tahney's ear and whispers something i can't hear. then, both pairs of eyes fall onto me. there's no innocence in their eyes... the blue ones held lust, the green? determination. they move in, digging their nails into my legs as they bring their lips closer to mine. i look over their heads at don, who turns in his seat, confused as he watches us. i glance back at selena and keep my eyes on her. i don't know why... i guess it makes me feel like less of an asshole, like i'm closer to olivia. if i kiss selena, maybe there's a higher chance of forgiveness if she finds out later on. her eyes reflect my own discomfort and i can see her apology flare in the green depths of her eyes. not a second later, they both suck my bottom lip into their mouth and i feel... fucking horrible. i'm not a genius, but i know this is technically cheating. i try to reason with myself... this is for the greater good. matt won't put extra stress on me after this. when i'm stressed, i take it out on her. what i'm doing now will make me a better husband. a calmer husband.

"marc?" don snarls, pushing off of his stool. it slams against the bar, making the bystanders nervous. "does your wife know what you're doing?"

the girls release my lip.

"wife?" tahney spits. i shrug as she snaps her body away from me and storms off without a glance over her shoulder.

i don't chase after her. i don't even try to offer an explanation and it's simply because it means nothing to me. with her gone, i can breathe better.

"that's none of your business," i reply, casually picking up my beer and sipping it.

i've come this far. it can't all be for nothing. i wrap my arm around selena's waist, grip her jaw, and pull her into me. her eyes widen and her head shakes minutely. i had to go through with her plan, now she can put up with mine. don isn't pissed off enough for my liking. i crush my mouth to hers, but make damn sure to keep my tongue where it belongs. in the distance, i hear chairs being shoved out of the way and people screaming. as i release selena, she's yanked from my arms by one of don's men.