by Ellie Danes
“Melissa, do you remember the last time we were in a limo? Wasn’t it in college at the formal we went to?”
Melissa was wrestling with the top to the champagne bottle as she started laughing. “Yeah, that was when that girl in our group was standing up through the sunroof and got sick all over the top of the limo.”
“I remember that formal.” Courtney chimed in. “That’s the one I didn’t get invited to and ended up sitting at home.”
“Hey, don’t blame us you didn’t like any of those guys in Theta.” Melissa quickly quipped back.
Melissa, Courtney and I always seemed to find just the right amount of trouble in college together. It only got worse when Katie came to visit us. We were definitely a diverse, but fun group. One of the few groups of girls that didn’t have the normal cattiness the other groups of friends had. Katie, Melissa and I had known each other all through high school, but Katie decided to stay near home and near her boyfriend at the time. That seemed to work out well for her since they were now married.
“Anyone up for flying out of the sunroof?”
Courtney pushed the button to open the roof and started to stand as Melissa pulled her back down. “We do not need a repeat of that night Court.”
Melissa passed around the bottle of champagne as we all took turns taking swigs of the cold, bubbly liquid and reminisced about our much wilder college days. We had decided to hit the some of the fancy casinos so we could feel important showing up in a limo. After blowing a whopping twenty dollars on slots and taking in our share of shooters we decided to move on to the next venue that Cole had on his list.
“Oh shit! Keep it down for sec.” I rolled my eyes at the girls as I fumbled with my phone.
“Is it him? Is it Chance?” Katie, who had seemed so put off by what had happened with him, now seemed more interested since she had a bit of alcohol in her system.
“I wish.” I grumbled. “It’s work.”
“Don't answer it! He knows you're here on vacation.”
“Melissa, I have to answer it. I'll only be a minute.” I leaned over against the door.
“Hello, Matthew. How are you this morning? You received the presentation I sent yesterday, right?”
“I did. I actually expected you to call and follow up. I had sent you an email. I needed some additional questions answered.” Matthew’s voices resonated over the phone. “I tried calling, but didn’t get an answer. I had to wing it.”
Damn it, I knew I should have looked at my phone. “I’m sorry…I just…”
I felt my heart sink as Matthew continued on. “Fortunately, things went well, but I need some changes to the pitch right away. They liked what they saw, but they didn’t love it. Here, let me give you some notes.”
“Actually Matthew, I'm out right now. I don’t really have anything to write on and I’m in the back of this limo going to–”
“I understand, but you assured me you’d be available. This is a big deal for us, Rebecca, I need your full attention.”
Rebecca, I hated when he called me that. “Tell me what you need, maybe I can walk you through it and you can make the changes or have someone–”
Matthew let out a sigh and I heard papers shuffling on the other end. “Listen, if I wanted to work on this myself I wouldn’t need you. This was your opportunity to shine, but apparently it’s more important you have a little girly time than focus on your career.”
I could feel the anger and resentment filling my body as I beckoned for the champagne bottle that was in Katie’s hand. I quickly took a big swig and the foaming liquid overflowed, filling my mouth and running down my chest. I almost spit it out, but gained my composure and swallowed before firing back at my boss, the alcohol already clouding my judgment. “Listen, everyone needs a break. I’m sure you can handle this. Just tell me what you need and I’ll walk you through it. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Rebecca, what I needed was for you to be a part of this team, but it’s clear you’re not. It’s ok. I’ll have Nigel take it from here. Enjoy your vacation, it’s your last with the firm.”
“Excuse me?” His words hadn’t fully registered in my head.
“When you return I’ll have your things boxed up for you. We aren’t going to need your assistance any longer.” Before I could get out another word the phone went dead. I sat in the limo, speechless as the other girls continued taking swigs from the bottle. When they had finally noticed I was off the phone they sat in silence, staring at me as they realized something was wrong.
“I just got fired,” I said, my voice completely empty. A million thoughts raced through my head. My dream job in New York City, my apartment I shared with Melissa, all of the things that had been my perfect world were left hanging in the balance. I didn’t have a job to pay the bills. What was I going to do?
Melissa slid next to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “It’ll be alright. What happened?”
“I don’t know. He just…” I fumbled for the words. “He just expected me to go on vacation and then be available whenever he wanted. I offered to help, but that wasn’t enough.”
“Men” Katie grumbled. “You aren’t doing so well with them the last few days Becs.”
It took all of my strength not to reach out and smack her. Instead I grabbed the bottle of champagne and finished it off. “What else do we have in here?”
“You know we have all night, let’s take it easy.”
“Easy? You didn’t just lose your dream job. I think it’s time I let loose a little.” I reached past Melissa and grabbed the clear bottle of vodka pouring some into one of the crystal glasses from the small bar. I put a splash of cranberry into the glass, just slightly changing the color of the liquid to a clear pink and took a long swig, the concoction burning my throat as I swallowed.
“How about we head back to the hotel for a few minutes, get our plans together, maybe grab something to eat. Beside, I need to grab my phone. I left it in the room and I need to call Roger before I’m too drunk.”
Melissa’s attempt at reasoning with me didn’t work, but I was more interested in drowning out the last twenty-four hours. Before I realized where we were headed, the limo pulled into the driveway of The Viridian. “I wanted to gamble. I need to take a chance.” Chance, maybe I should go find him right now.
“I’m going to run upstairs, why don’t you girls stay here with Becca. It probably wouldn’t be good for her to wander the casino right now.” Melissa’s eyes were big as she barked out orders to Katie and Courtney.
Melissa ducked out of the limo and eased back into the seat. As much as I wanted to go into the casino, I found comfort in the cool area and cold drink in my hand. I took another long sip, the burn of the drink much softer now.
“Slow down girl. We have all night, remember?” Courtney reached into the small fridge and pulled out a wrapped cheese plate and crackers. “Here, eat something or you won’t make it past five-thirty.” Courtney nudged the tray towards me and I grabbed a handful of crackers, stuffing them in my face.
“We know you lost your job, Becca.” Katie scooted closer and gave me a hug. “You'll get another one, a better one.”
“You were sick of Matthew anyway, remember?” Courtney added.
“There’s nothing you can do about it now. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but…”
I continued chomping on the crackers as I closed my eyes and leaned back into the leather seats. I listened to the girls attempting to comfort me and I knew they were right. There was nothing I could do. I loved that job, but I did hate my boss. I was good at what I did, but he never appreciated it. I had fought so hard to get this vacation and I wasn’t going to let that asshole ruin for me.
Chapter Five
Chance
I couldn’t get Becca off my mind. She was all I could think about since leaving her this morning. I was eager to meet up with her tonight. I felt a bit like a high school boy again. It was probably the most excited I had been while in Veg
as in a long time.
I thumbed through the big folder of contracts as I walked down the hall to dad’s office. It was a necessary evil of being in Vegas, daily meetings with him to go over projects and projections. When I wasn’t in Vegas it was a daily phone call, rehashing the same things over and over again. He loved to micromanage me. Despite the number of updates and meetings we had together, he still didn’t see or at least he didn’t acknowledge the progress I had made in both the east coast projects and properties in Vegas.
“Here’s the latest on the projects.”
I dropped the folder on his desk and he opened it up, flipping through the printed spreadsheets. “Things are looking good. Looks like this may be one of our best months yet Chance.”
I wasn’t sure if what he said should be taken as a compliment to me or a pat on his own back. I decided to take the compliment while it was there. “Thanks, you know, I’ve been working on quite a few things, everything is looking great. The new property in New York is just about ready to go live and–”
“That’s great Chance.” Dad interrupted me. “It’s nice you’re finally taking my advice. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.” Dad chuckled to himself. I felt the anger welling up inside of me at his quip.
“So, given any more thought to coming to New York for the opening? It would be nice to have you out there to support me.” I already knew the answer and I wasn’t sure why I even bothered asking.
Dad shook his head. “You know I have a lot going on around here. Besides, that’s why you’re out there, so I don’t have to be. Do you always want me holding your hand, making sure everything is fine? At some point Chance you’re going to need to do this on your own.”
I couldn’t believe the rant he was on. Holding my hand? I had never asked for his help. He had always interjected his opinions into everything I did without my asking. I took a deep breath, ready to unload on him as the office door flew open. I spun to see Mary trailing behind Sara. Dad immediately stood up and smiled as she approached. Mary held up her hands, and shrugged as she mouthed the words I’m sorry.
“Sara, what the fuck? Why are you here?” I felt my face redden and anger completely fill by body. I had already been tense from my conversation with my father, now she had to show up. “Did you have something to do with this?” I stared at my father through my squinted eyes.
“Absolutely not Chance, but Sara is welcome here anytime.”
“Chance, I called you and left you a message. I told you I was coming out. We need to talk. This was the only way to get your attention.
Dad hugged Sara and looked at me. “You should listen to her, Chance.” She’s a smart girl.
“Sara, I told you when I left, it’s over. There’s nothing left to talk about.” I turned and made my way toward the door as Sara quickly followed behind me. “Look, I really don’t have time to talk to you right now.”
“Chance, please, we really need to talk.”
“No, for once can you respect that I’m here on business. But honestly as far as I’m concerned we’re finished.”
“Are you serious!” She raised her voice as we walked down the hall. “You think you’re ever going to do any better than me?”
“Better than you?” I barked back. I had never even compared anyone too her because lately, everything was better. The only person I could compare her to was Becca, and there was no comparison. I chose not to finish my sentence and made my way towards the elevator.
Just as I slid inside Sara joined me, cornering me. “Why don’t you listen to me? I told you that I'm sorry. We need to talk.” Sara reached for my hands as she stood in front of me.
“I’m not interested.” I quickly pulled my hands back and leaned against the wall of the elevator.
“Come on. You know we've been through this before. We always …”
“Yeah, we've been through this so many times before, and we always let it go. Not this time. “
I watched as the floor numbers quickly lit up and the elevator descended to the lobby. Sara moved in closer, her eyes fixed on mine as she reached for my face, cradling it. “Chance, please.” I struggled to pull without being too forceful as she leaned towards me.
The doors slid open and I grabbed her hands in an attempt to move her away from me, but it was too late. Her lips planted firmly on mine as I pulled away. I squirmed my way past the woman standing outside of the elevator waiting to get on as Sara tracked at my heels.
Immediately the face of the waiting woman flashed through my mind. I couldn’t believe my luck. It was Melissa, Becca's friend. I turned to look back and Melissa had already entered the elevator, still staring at me, her mouth hanging open.
“Would you leave me the hell alone?” I yelled at Sara. I turned and ran toward the closing elevator. “Melissa, wait!”
My attempt to stop the doors from closing failed as Sara approached. “Who’s Melissa?”
Chapter Six
Becca
The door to the limo opened and closed in a hurry as I heard Melissa join us again. I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the temporary relaxation until my next round of drinks to drown my issues.
“Wow Melissa. You and Tyler have that phone sex thing down. Pretty quick today huh?” Courtney giggled as she joked with Melissa. Melissa didn’t respond.
“Is she passed out?” Melissa whispered, but not quietly enough to escape my hearing.
“No, I’m awake, just resting for round two.” I opened my eyes and stared at Melissa. She looked upset. “Everything ok with Tyler? You didn’t call the wedding off did ya?” I joked, but Melissa still didn’t respond. “Lissa? What’s wrong he didn’t…? What happened?”
“Nothing. Nothing happened. I'm fine. My head just really hurts.”
“It looks like you've seen a ghost.”
Katie and Courtney nodded in agreement.
“So what's going on Melissa?” I felt a seriousness come over me even though the alcohol was still slightly fogging my senses.
Melissa looked down into her lap, and then into my eyes. “I just saw something.” Melissa twisted her engagement ring nervously as we all stared at her, waiting. “I saw Chance.”
“You saw Chance? And? Did you talk to him? What did he say?” I only partially cared what he had to say. In my brief period of relaxation in the limo I had decided that Chance would be my once in a lifetime Vegas fling. I knew it was the alcohol helping my decisions, but I didn’t care.
Melissa took a deep breath and then dropped the news. “He was with another woman. They were kissing in the elevator.”
My heart stopped and then sank to my stomach. I couldn’t breathe and I wanted to scream, to run, but I couldn’t move. I looked at Courtney and then to Katie, just to see if I had heard Melissa right. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung open. They both stared at Melissa and then at me.
Katie's eyes softened as she stared. It was that pity look. She felt sorry for me. Courtney had it too. I looked back over at Melissa, hoping for reassurance, that maybe it was something else, but I knew the truth. That call and text were from her, his wife or his girlfriend, whatever she was.
“I told you.” Katie mocked. “Men.” She let the words hang before she continued. “Well, at least you know the truth now.”
“I don’t give a shit! Let's just forget it and have a great time. Hell, we got a room out of it, a limo. We got the better end of the deal. Besides, I he was my fling, not the other way around.” I buried the pain I was feeling deep inside as I watched Melissa fake a smile for me. “This is your weekend Melissa, that asshole isn’t going to ruin it for us.”
The girls agreed, but I knew they were feeling for me. In the span of twenty-four hours my life had become a roller coaster of emotions and drama. Something I had never had in my life before and certainly didn’t want now.
Chapter Seven
Chance
“Is she why you left me at home? Is Melissa your Vegas whore?” Sara swung her open hand at my face and I caught it
before she made contact. “Is she? Is she who you’ve been fucking behind my back?”
I stood speechless as staff and guests stared in our direction. I kept my composure as Sara slowly became unraveled. “No Sara. I left you at home because we are done. Melissa is guest at the hotel that I arranged some events for. I wanted to talk to her to see how things were going.”
The redness in Sara’s face subsided as she stared at me, again attempting to hold my hand. I pulled away as I continued to scan the lobby for Becca. The onlookers had moved on and Sara and I were left to our semi-private conversation. I tapped my foot as I anxiously waited for the elevator to arrive.
“Chance, I’m sorry. We just really need to talk.”
“We don't have anything to talk about. I said I'm done and I mean it.”
“How could we be done? We've come so far.”
“Far? How far have we come? It’s just the same thing, over and over again. We don’t have anything in common, when was the last time we even had a normal conversation? I’m tired of this. Please go back to New York City”
“Chance, please?” Sara begged.
The elevator door slid open and I quickly entered, pushing the button for Becca’s floor and then pushing the close button. I held up my hand as Sara attempted to enter. “No, just leave.” The doors closed and I stared at the numbers at the top of the elevator. It couldn’t move fast enough.
I made it to their suite and knocked. No answer. I knocked again as I fumbled for my master keycard, debating whether I should use it or not. I was desperate. I swiped the keycard and turned the handle as I yelled into the suite. “Melissa, are you here? I need to talk to you, to explain what you saw. It's not what you think! Melissa, are you here?”
The room was completely silent. I was too late. By now, Melissa had likely already told her what she saw.
* * * *
My suite seemed empty. Lonely. I flopped onto the sofa and debated my next move. Even without trying Sara managed to fuck up something good for me. Somehow her presence was everywhere, even in places it didn’t belong.
