“Oh, wow, now that’s impressive,” Misha said.
We made our way to the elevators and it promptly opened up. There was a man in uniform inside and I awkwardly stepped in.
“What floor ladies?”
“Umm....” I looked down at our keycard. “Twelve?”
He pushed the button and as the elevator made its way up I could practically feel the excitement in the air. We looked at each other and smiled. The elevator operator noticed and said, “Is this your first time staying at The Xerxes?”
We nodded.
“But you ladies have been to Vegas before, right?”
We all shook our heads and the elevator operator smiled widely, and said, “Tell Renee that. She’ll get you set up with the vacation of a lifetime.”
He began to tell us about all his favorite shows and sights and before we knew it, we were out of the elevator and heading in the direction of our suite and practically best friends with the elevator operator, Hank.
“See you around, Hank,” I called as we made our way.
“He sure was nice,” Misha said.
“Yeah, the customer service here has been above reproach,” Emmaline added.
We followed the signs that directed us to our room. The floor was padded with luxurious carpet, so thick that you couldn’t even hear our footsteps as we made our way towards our room. We easily found it and with bated breath and barely contained excitement, I held up the key card against the lock. There was a little click as I swiped the card, and as I pushed the door open, I gasped.
The room was gorgeous. As I walked in, I noticed that the suite had three separate doors, leading to what I guessed were three separate rooms. We excitedly bounced from room to room, arguing with each other about which room to pick. Not that it mattered, they were all decorated in the same manner: classic, yet modern with understated luxury.
“I can’t believe this setup,” Emmaline said pulling out her phone and taking a selfie in front of her room. She gestured to the rest of us. “Get in here. Get in close. My kid’s going to be soooo jealous.”
We did as we were told, making funny faces and laughing the entire time. We located our suitcases in the main living area with the gigantic TV and agreed to meet up downstairs for cocktails or happy hour at one of the restaurants.
As always, I was the first one ready. I was pretty no-nonsense and had changed into a serviceable wrap dress and low heels. I left Misha and Emmaline upstairs changing and decided to explore the hotel a little bit while I waited for them. I found Hank still on duty in the elevator and chatted with him a little more about his favorite places in Vegas until I reached the lobby. I was doing my best to memorize our conversation so that I would have something to share with Emmaline and Misha when they eventually came downstairs.
I looked around the lobby and realized I had quite a few choices in terms of entertainment. I didn’t want to seem like a loser sitting by myself doing nothing, so I headed to a restaurant that I’d noticed earlier on. It had seemed pretty laid-back in comparison to the other eateries around me.
The maître d’ smiled brightly at me, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, and I pretended that I didn’t notice that she didn’t seem too impressed with my choice of clothing. I wouldn’t have noticed if it weren’t for the small frown that marred her face when she saw my shoes, before she caught herself and her forced smile returned. I shrugged it off and raised my chin.
“How many this evening, ma’am?” she said with a slight British accent.
“I thought I’d just sit at the bar, if that’s okay.”
She seemed relieved. I guess there had to be at least one haughty employee, I thought to myself. I didn’t wait for her to say another word. I wanted to be the one who turned my back on her. I made my way to the bar not waiting for her “permission”, ignoring the other guests who were dressed as if they were attending the Oscars.
I slid onto a stool and ordered a drink, hoping the ladies wouldn’t mind that I started without them.
The bartender slid my drink in front of me. As I said thank you, I noticed someone slide onto the stool next to me. I automatically shifted over, giving the stranger more room than he or she needed, but I figured moving away from the person would dissuade him or her from making idle chitchat with me. I hated chitchat. I didn’t want to make eye contact and start a conversation, so I stared studiously down into my glass, hoping that Misha and Emmaline would text me soon.
I thought I heard female voices and looked up in the direction of the entrance. It wasn’t them. Disappointed, I turned back to my drink, accidentally glancing in the direction of the stranger. With a sinking feeling, it was then that I noticed the stranger looked familiar. And to my disgust, he sat staring at me with a smile on his face. Unfortunately, I knew that smile and I knew that face.
“Hi, princess,” said Jude with a stupid grin. It was actually a beautiful grin, but I didn’t want to admit it.
I rolled my eyes in an exaggerated motion and sighed deeply. “What are you doing here, stalker?”
“Oh please, don’t pretend you’re not thrilled to see me.”
“Oh I don’t have to pretend anything. I’m absolutely thrilled to see you. I was just thinking to myself, you know what would really make my day: running into my boss’s obnoxious son.”
He smiled even wider. “So you have been thinking about me. I knew it.”
I moved to get up and he watched, taking his time to look at my legs, before bringing his gaze to my breasts.
I planted my hands on my hips, “Seriously. Could you be any more blatant?”
He shrugged and gave me a rakish smile. “You can’t blame a man for appreciating the view.”
“Well you can appreciate this view as well,” I said turning around and marching away from him. I was so angry that I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and ran right smack into the concierge. She looked upset and harried.
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry, miss. Tell me, you wouldn’t have seen a really handsome guy, dark brown eyes, pretty smile somewhere around here, have you?”
“Unfortunately, I have.” I gestured towards the bar and the concierge gave me a smile in gratitude before hurrying to Jude’s side. It was then that I noticed the phone in her hand. She said something to Jude and then handed him the phone.
Jude looked confused, and I watched as his smile disappeared as he brought the phone to his ear. He caught me looking in his direction, but seemed to look through me as he listened to the voice on the other end, his lips growing tighter as the conversation continued.
Something was clearly wrong, but it was none of my business. I went off to find the girls and didn’t have to go far, as they caught up with me as I exited the hotel restaurant.
“Oh, there you are. We were looking everywhere for you...”
I wondered why they stopped talking when abruptly I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around already knowing who was there.
“What is it, Jude?”
“We need to talk.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, “No way, I’m on vacation. Your dad’s orders. And remember, I work for him, not you. Whatever you have to say to me can wait.”
“My father’s dying.”
Chapter Four
We sat in a meeting space not too far from the restaurant. There were just the two of us and I felt numb. I’d known Oliver was sick, Kadija had hinted at it. I was well aware Oliver wasn’t in the best of health, but I’d thought Kadija had been exaggerating once I actually had the opportunity to meet him in person. He’d seemed to be in perfect health and I found myself saying so to Jude.
“I’d heard he wasn’t doing great, but I thought it was a gross exaggeration.”
Jude laughed bitterly. “Apparently it wasn’t.”
I didn’t know what to say. I’d never been in this predicament. I’d never had to endure through the knowledge that someone close to me was dying. I looked at Jude, studying him. He was turned half away from me, lean
ing against a wall, just staring out the window with his arms crossed.
He didn’t seem upset, just contemplative. He hadn’t said much after he dropped the news of his dad’s condition. He’d been about to walk off when I’d reached out and stopped him, asking to speak to him alone. Misha and Emmaline had been very accommodating, telling me they’d wait outside for me.
Jude had led me into the conference room, closing it behind us, not saying much of anything as he stood much like he was now, staring out the window.
I felt I needed to say something. Something reassuring. Something considerate. I really wanted to, but I didn’t know how.
I was still struggling to find the words when Jude turned towards me and said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to stand here feeling sorry for myself or my father.” He laughed bitterly. “I bet that’s why he sent me on this bogus trip yesterday. He told me he needed me to check up on The Xerxes personally. I fell for it, thinking he was finally going to let me help out some.”
I stayed silent and he shook his head as if to clear it before saying, “He probably knew well before yesterday he was dying. He just wasn’t man enough to tell me himself. He left it to his lawyer to tell me. Can you believe that? He sent me out of town on some bogus trip because he couldn’t tell me the truth, couldn’t tell his own son face-to-face. And his lawyer didn’t even call me directly! He called the hotel to reach me and Renee tracked me down. This is ridiculous!” He slammed his fist down on a table and I jumped, startled.
I could hear the pain in his voice and I blinked back tears, not knowing how to react to his anger and underlying sorrow.
Abruptly he said, “I’m sorry. I’m not yelling at you… it’s just everything… everything about this situation has me—never mind. I’ll see you later, Lacey.”
“But—what—we should talk about this,” I called after him. “Where are you going?” I grabbed his elbow stopping him from leaving, searched his face for some sort of emotion, but all I saw was resignation and anger. I definitely didn’t see sadness anymore.
“Where am I going? I’m going to enjoy my time in Vegas. I’m going to get drunk... and I suggest you do the same.”
He left me standing there and sauntered out the door as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
I watched him leave, a little taken aback, and then made my way out the conference room. I was accosted by my friends before I even crossed the threshold.
“What happened?” Misha asked, her eyes filled with concern.
I shrugged. “Not sure.”
“He looks so familiar. Who is he?” Misha said wondering out loud.
Emmaline chirped, “Ice cream guy? That’s him, isn’t it?”
I nodded solemnly. “Unfortunately.”
I filled them in on my second encounter with Jude on his father’s property.
“God, you have the worst luck with first and second impressions, don’t you?” asked Misha.
“Yeah that first lunch between you all must have been a little awkward,” Emmaline added.
“You have no idea.”
“Soooo.... what do you want to do now? I know it must not be the best time to celebrate, but it’s still your birthday.” Misha was right, but it didn’t feel right. I liked Oliver and I was sad that I wouldn’t get to know him better, but at the same time, he was mostly a stranger to me.
“I sort of feel guilty thinking about having fun when my employer is apparently dying.”
“I understand,” Emmaline started. “But from the sound of it, he probably already knew and wanted you to have this as a gift.”
Misha chimed in, “I think Emmaline’s right.”
I knew they were probably right, but I was still a little unsettled. I needed a drink. A stiff one. My employer was dying and I was living it up on his dime for my birthday. It just didn’t seem right, but apparently, it was what he wanted.
We headed to a bar not too far from our hotel. It was a pretty classy joint, and I downed more drinks than I should have. I was feeling a little reckless and indecisive and it was easier to pretend to be having a good time than to focus on the bad news I’d just heard. But as the night drew on, I started enjoying myself. I felt so relaxed, so uninhibited and sexy.
I hadn’t felt sexy in a long time, I thought to myself as I scanned the crowd, looking for an unattached man to possibly make out with. The girls had been right. I had been through a sex drought since Evan dumped me, and now that I was in Vegas, I was ready for it to end.
I saw a group of men come in, apparently celebrating something. They were a little tipsy and were loud and boisterous, but also not too hot. I figured I had a pretty good chance of picking one of them up.
They began to dance even though it wasn’t that type of bar and I found myself laughing at some of their antics.
“You know what, Oliver would want me to live a little. Isn’t this what this weekend is about, celebrating life?”
“Exactly,” said Emmaline as she focused on something or someone at the door, I looked in that direction but didn’t see anyone. I looked at Emmaline curiously and she smiled and shrugged, “I thought I saw someone I recognized.”
Abruptly, she stood up and tugged at her mini-skirt that hugged her ample behind. “I’m going to run to the bathroom, be right back.” She turned around as she walked away from me and said almost as a second thought, “You should take a chance. It’s Vegas after all. And what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” She winked at me and sashayed off to the bathroom. She was in a fantastic mood. Almost giddy. And she hadn’t had one drink. Maybe it was something in the water.
I watched as the men danced around singing, making complete fools of themselves and I found myself standing up, emboldened by the many drinks I’d had.
“Emmaline’s right. I need to take a chance, so I’m going to go meet some men.” I declared, dusting off my dress. I knew that I looked like a nun who didn’t get out much, but I was going to change that. I was going to live life to the fullest and take control of my life like all those memes on the internet suggested.
Misha cheered me on, “Yeah! Girl! Go get them.”
I decided to try to be sexy as I approached, spotting one that I felt was just my type. Tall, dorky, wearing a bowling shirt. Oh yeah, he didn’t know it yet, but he was getting lucky tonight!
I did my best to sashay over to him to the beat of the music, but felt ridiculous as I half bopped and dipped, side-stepped to his side. His friends were turned away, but he watched me with amusement in his eyes.
I didn’t care. It was Vegas, right? Who cared what anyone thought? And Evan would be so jealous if he saw me.
“Hey, big boy,” I said, trying to sound sexy, leaning against the bar where the guy was suddenly looking nervous and no longer amused. In my drunken state, I thought his nervousness was a good sign.
I attempted to swing my hair in a flirtatious manner over my shoulders and realized that was a wasted effort since I had just gotten my hair cut into a bob not too long ago. My cheeks burned in embarrassment, but I’d come too far to give up now.
“What’s a sexy beast like you doing in a dive like this?” My muddled tipsy brain forgot that we were in a classy bar.
He raised an eyebrow. “Sexy beast?”
I placed my hand on my hip. “Obviously I’m not talking about anyone else.” I turned until I was facing him and my body was just inches from his. I liked how his glasses were askew and his thin lips formed an unsure, nervous smile. I bet he hadn’t had a woman show interest in him in months... maybe even years! Today was his lucky day. Guys like him were my specialty. I loved the rejects because they never rejected me. Well, Evan did, but I was too tipsy to allow my brain to focus on that.
“Listen, buddy. I know I’m a lot of woman to handle, but I’m willing to let you try.”
I’d heard that line before in a movie and the woman who had delivered it had sounded pretty sexy. Apparently, I didn’t have her same sex appeal. His friends guffawed
and I felt my cheeks burning with embarrassment. But, hey, I was supposed to live a little, right? Take some action?
And so I did, I took life by the horns. Or rather, I grabbed his face and pulled it towards mine. He resisted, but apparently being drunk made me stronger. He couldn’t get away from me and I kissed him hard and immediately regretted it. He tasted like old beer and even older hamburgers. His eyes were big round saucers as he stared past me, clearly terrified by whatever was behind me.
“What the hell!” yelled someone directly behind me, and I turned only to be greeted by a dark-eyed furious woman who looked more like a teenager than anything else. She had a posse of about five women behind her and they all looked ready to clobber me. I gulped and took a step back.
“I’m sorry—who—?”
I didn’t get another word out as she punched me hard in my shoulder.
“Ouch! Hey! What’s your problem?” I screeched, tearing up a little, more from wounded pride than her blow to my shoulder.
She hit me again and I am embarrassed to admit, I might have whimpered a little bit. I wasn’t the physical type, but apparently, she was as she growled, “You’re my problem, you home-wrecker. That’s my fiancé you had your nasty lips on!”
“Yeah! You whore! Get her, Tanya!” yelled one of her friends. The others echoed their agreement and I quickly put my hands up as if to wave off any future attacks.
I took a few steps back. “Your fiancé?” I heard the guys chuckling in the background and I looked at the fiancé who suddenly seemed unbothered. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying the show. I bet he was just relieved that her anger was directed towards me. I didn’t blame him. It was my fault and Tanya was super scary.
“This is my engagement party, you, you, dirty hobag,” said Tanya with her fist balled up. I wasn’t going to stick around to get punched again and looked around for a quick escape.
“Well then,” I chuckled nervously, stepping away from them. “I had no idea.” I tried to sneak away, looking in vain for my friends to rescue me, but strangely they were nowhere to be found. Just as I turned away to make a run for it, I felt hands grab me by my hair and the next thing I knew the bride-to-be was wrestling me to the ground.
Billionaire In Vegas Page 4
