The Desired Effect

The Good Luck Charm

Christmas Day (Still) - Las Vegas, Nevada

With a newfound swagger, the group entered the casino at Caesar's palace. After a cocky nod from Brandon, they breezed by the security guard and Poppy's grip returned to a normal pressure, making Brandon smile.
"You can relax you know" he practically whispered in her ear. Poppy blushed as they headed in direction of the slot machines. Poppy decided to play it safe and opted to watch Brandon rather than gamble away her winnings. Brandon chose his machine and perched himself in front of it. Poppy stood beside him, watching and trying to learn. As he played he narrated, explaining it all as he went along. His eyes not leaving the bright lights of the machine. Poppy's eyes didn't leave Brandon. She was well and truly under his spell now. She felt his free hand loop casually around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

The world slipped away from Poppy. It was now just her and Brandon in their own little bubble. Carefully, she stepped inside his leg, bringing them impossibly close. Brandon's eyes remained fixed on the machine but Poppy could see his attention drift.
"The others, they might see us" Brandon admitted under his breath.
"And?" Poppy sassed in return, her face just millimeters from his.
"Well it might be an idea to keep things private for a little while" he explained, turning his head nonchalantly to gaze into her eyes momentarily before whipping them straight back to the machine.
"I see...like the game do you Mr Flowers?" She smirked, leaning in a little closer. Her breath brushing his cheek.
"Perhaps" he smirked before suddenly standing up and straightening himself out. "Come on, let's go find the others and get something to eat" he announced, holding out his hand for Poppy. She confidently took hold of it and followed him through the casino to where they quickly found the others.

The gang reunited and made their way to a classy restaurant in the complex and ordered some food. They enjoyed an alcohol infused hour of chatter and good food then quickly returned to the casino floor.
"Hey Bran, let me borrow your missus for a minute, I need some good luck" Chris remarked jokingly as he found himself a machine.
"Get lost, get your own" Brandon returned, gently pulling Poppy further into his arms. Jordan wolf whistled which prompted Poppy's cheeks to flush.
"Screw you then" Chris rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the machine. Brandon did the same. Poppy watched on as he pressed and poked the machine, feeling his warm, familiar hand rest against her back.
"You're not for sharing" Brandon murmured lowly, straight into her ear. The comment startled Poppy slightly but she did her best not to show any signs of caving.
"Says who?" She responded, flicking her eyes to his.
"Me" his eyes were dark and full of lust.
"Well you should make sure you keep me for yourself then shouldn't you?" Poppy sassily raised a brow and gave a hint of a smirk. She felt his hand grip tighter on her hip. Their eyes locked intensely on one another.

"Oi you two!" Their moment was broken by Jake calling them both. "Looks like Jordan's pulled" he added before flicking his thumb in direction of Jordan. They followed his thumb and saw Jordan chatting up some tall blonde girl by the craps table.
"We should let him do his thing, he can find us when it falls flat" Jake scoffed already heading for the door. Chris followed him closely and then Poppy wandered behind, hand in hand. Brandon clutched her hand securely in his, occasionally taking the pad of his thumb to stroke her knuckles. However, they didn't get out of the casino door before Jake bumped into some old friends. Chris instantly rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what was going to happen next.

"You guys carry on, I'll come find you" Jake announced before hurriedly following the gaggle of old friends. Chris sighed audibly to the side of Brandon and Poppy. The newly whittled down trio, wandered slowly down the strip, a strange air now lingering among them.
"Um, guys" Chris began, "I'm gonna head off" the couple turned to face him. "I love you two but  I'm third wheeling now, so I'll just let you enjoy your night" he quickly explained, not allowing the couple to get a word in edgeways. He turned as he spoke, "enjoy your night, see you later" he quickly finished before pacing off in the opposite direction. He left Poppy and Brandon behind, alone and pleasantly surprised.
"Looks like I finally have you all to myself" Brandon responded, looking across at Poppy proudly.
"Looks like you do" Poppy smirked as the pair began to slowly wander towards the bellagio. The pair shared a mischievous grin before turning to focus on the street before them.
"what do you want to do?" Brandon asked.
"Anything fun, anything with you" Poppy surprised herself with her honesty and openness.
"let's go watch the fountains and then I know a bar that plays the best music" Brandon declared before proceeding to confidently pull her in the direction of the famous Bellagio fountains.

1 hour later
Brandon pulled Poppy excitedly towards a piece of free marble wall.
"Here's the best view" he announced as he leant against the wall, a wide smile plastered across his face. Poppy stepped into his arms and turned to face the water.
"I don't see what all the hype is about, surely they're just gonna be nice fountains" she shrugged nonchalantly. Brandon did his best to be offended.
"Oh darling just you wait" he chuckled, resting his arm over Poppy's shoulder in a comforting, possessive type manner. Poppy's hand came to hold Brandon's, their fingers entwining. Brandon smiled at the sight but was soon distracted when the crowd cheered and the display begun. Brandon squeezed her hand affectionately as they watched on.

The display had Poppy eating her words. When it eventually came to an end she gingerly turned on the spot to face Brandon. He glanced down at her with an expectant expression across his face.
"You were right, that was pretty cool" Poppy admitted reluctantly, doing her best to avoid his gaze.
"Not as cool as you though" Brandon responded, causing Poppy to flick her eyes up to meet his. There was a brief pause before he leant down to kiss her lips. The whole world fell away from them. Poppy felt as if she was in a movie. This kiss was different, it felt like the start of something. When Brandon's lips parted from Poppy's she instantly leant forwards, continuing the kiss. Brandon smirked at her confidence, bringing his hand up to cradle her face and keep control. Eventually, they broke apart, for fear of being arrested for public indecency or being papped. "I can't resist you any longer" Brandon declared as he held her just millimeters from him.
"Me neither, I proper fancy you not gonna lie and it's been horrible trying to hide it" Poppy reciprocated, bowing her head down to rest against his chest.
"I know" he soothed, wrapping a comforting arm around her, they both sighed, "you're not very good at hiding things" Brandon chuckled, causing Poppy to whip her head back up, a frown firmly placed upon her face. "Just joking" Brandon laughed, proceeding to follow a crowd away from the fountains, taking Poppy under his arm. "I think we should head home" Brandon announced confidently. Poppy nodded. "But we have to get some frozen custard en route" he insisted.
"Frozen? Custard? Huh?" The idea baffled Poppy.
"It's good, trust me!" Brandon insisted.

And so the pair headed back to Brandon's truck hand in hand. They enjoyed they new connection that had developed between them and laughed and joked their way back. After a short while they were back in his truck, protected from the humid heat and were on their way to pick up some frozen custard.
"That's two things I've proven you wrong on" Brandon chuckled as they wandered from his truck up to his front door.
"I initially thought you were a jerk but I think you still need to work on that" Poppy sassed, eagerly awaiting Brandon's response.
"Oh is that so?" His mouth agape as he unlocked the door to his very large Spanish style house. Poppy nodded timidly having spotted a playful twinkle in the mans eye. "Right then Miss" he bit his lower lip and chased her into the house. Poppy let out the biggest squeal. She turned to run into his house but was overcome. She didn't know where to turn and was amazed by how much space there was. That left her vulnerable to Brandon. Within 2 strides he had her in his grasp. She let out another squeal as he latched his arms around her and swung her around onto his sofa. The pair erupted into laughter as they sat on the sofa. Poppy completely useless as Brandon held her tight.
"Am I still a jerk now?" He asked between his breaths.
"No!" Poppy yelled, trying to wriggle free. Instead now, Brandon maneuvered himself over Poppy and began to pepper her with kisses.
"Am I a jerk now?" He asked again, pausing his kisses for a second.
"Hmmm-" Poppy was cut off by kisses again. This time he came to a stop, taking the opportunity to look her dead in the eyes. For a moment they stared, deep into one another's eyes, this was finally happening.
"How about now?" His voice was quiet and low.
"No" Poppy responded, their eyes still locked. Without a word he kissed her lips, long and hard and she kissed back.