by Laney Terra
“To his credit, it’s not him we have to watch out for. It’s his mother’s influence.”
Hendrix chuckled. “And I thought my mom and her friend were the only ones.”
“Well…”
Hendrix scooted himself over to and up under me.
I shook my head. “You’re going to miss me.”
“I will but I don’t have to. You’re here a few more days right?”
“Yes, but I’ll be with my friends.”
“Throughout the entire night? We can play a game called can you break away.”
I laughed and saw the clock. “Oh no. I have one hour and the crew will be here, knocking on my door. I gotta go.”
Hendrix held down my hips as I tried to get up and put a smirk across his face. “You’re not getting away that easy,” he said.
Immediately, I was rolled to my side. Hendrix grabbed my thigh and threw it over his hip. With a few more maneuvers, he slowly thrusted into me.
“I know I…,” I said and moaned. “I want more but I…I don’t have time.”
“For this, you’ll want to make time,” he said. “But don’t worry. I got you.”
---
I made it back to my room in time to organize my things, so Leslie could sleep on the other bed. It was kind of an amazing feat because a half hour before I was like a newborn horse, trying to learn how to walk on my own.
Leslie’s ring tone sounded out.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hey, girl,” Leslie said. “We’re here.”
“Here in town or—”
“Downstairs. The other girls are checking in.”
“Great! I’ll meet you in a few.”
Arriving downstairs, I was greeted with “hey” and hugs, even from Michelle. What’s going on?
“What floor are y’all on?” I asked.
“Eight,” Casey, one of Leslie’s other friends, said.
“Same,” Michelle said. “And you?”
“Twenty,” I said.
Michelle’s mouth dropped open. “Twenty? What did you have to do to get that room? I tried my magic and they only moved us up a few floors.”
“I got lucky.”
“Well,” Leslie said. “Shall we get settled and meet each other in thirty minutes?”
“That sounds good,” Shauna, another one of Leslie’s friends, said.
After checking out the other girl’s rooms, we went to ours.
“Wow,” Leslie said as she walked in. “This is nice. Nicer than the other rooms. We got these two huge queen-size beds, a nice sized bathroom, and a little bar over the refrigerator. I don’t think they had this downstairs.”
“I think the bar is the only thing that is different,” I said.
“And this view,” Leslie said after she opened the blinds. You can almost see the whole strip. No wonder you weren’t lonely. I could stay snuggled up in these comfy beds for a while too.”
“The time kind of flew by.”
“But you had that guy friend as well,” she said, spinning around to investigate me. “You didn’t tell me much about him.”
“Uhh, well it wasn’t much more than I told you,” I said. “He met me at the bar. We hung out a little that was it.”
“You mean to tell me that I don’t get to meet him?”
“No,” I said.
“Aww, I was looking forward to it. Londyn’s little friend. Since I’m saying this it won’t be a secret anymore, but I hope we’ll run into him. You should have kept in touch.”
My eyes widened.
“Yes, girl,” Leslie said. “You should have kept him for the length of the trip. It’s all right. We’ll find you another.”
I chuckled. “Ah, Leslie.” Maybe I should have hung around. “OK, you planned this whole trip. What’s on the agenda?”
“Brunch now. Bachelorette party is tonight.”
“Tonight? Already?”
“Yep. I thought it would be fitting to get the party started ASAP.”
Chapter 8
Londyn
At night I found myself back at Club Lounge, the place Hendrix took me two nights prior. We waited outside.
“Leslie this line,” Michelle said, “we’ll be waiting forever.”
“Chill out,” Alyssa, Leslie’s sister and the one who rounded out the crew, said. “We’ll be in there in no time. This is the hottest club. You have to expect to wait.”
“And this club is number one on my wish list of places to visit,” Leslie said, “so were not going anywhere.”
Michelle crossed her arms.
“I can’t wait to try the sliders,” Leslie said. “They supposedly are the best.”
I nodded my head knowing that I tried the sliders a couple of nights before. They were the best, but I wasn’t going to speak up. I didn’t need anyone else trying to get into my business, especially not Michelle. The line inched up a couple of times before a bouncer came our way. He did a double take when he noticed me.
“Excuse me miss. I’m so sorry,” the bouncer said. “I didn’t know you would be in line. You could’ve come to the front. Are all of these women with you?”
No, this is not the attention I need!
“Uh, yes,” I said. “It’s the six of us.”
“Yes miss; follow me.”
I got all kinds of looks from my group of friends, but they followed me as I trailed the bouncer to the front door. With a quick check of our IDs, we were inside the club.
“Miss, would you like a VIP booth tonight?” the bouncer said.
“No thank you,” I said. “We have some reservations already.” I didn’t know if we did, but I wasn’t about to pay for a VIP booth. Those costs were crazy.
“Are you sure? It’s on the house.”
“Yes!” Alyssa said, throwing her arm over my shoulder. “Yes, we would.” Alyssa turned her head to me. “Right Londyn?”
“Well, I suppose we’ll have one,” I said.
“Yes miss,” the bouncer said. “I’ll be right back. I’ll have a hostess seat you.”
When the bouncer left, all eyes were on me. Some of the girls crossed their arms and others tilted their heads.
“So,” Leslie said, “what were you really doing Miss VIP? How did you get to that status in one of the hottest clubs in two days?!”
“I—” I said.
“Excuse me miss,” a hostess said. “I heard you would like a VIP table. I have one available for you. Please follow me.”
The hostess brought us to one of the prime locations in the club. We were seated at a half circle booth facing the dancing area. Thanking the hostess, we scooted into our seats.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” the hostess said. We each gave her our orders then took a few minutes to absorb the scene after she left.
“Time’s up,” Alyssa said. “You’re not getting off the hook that easy Londyn. How did you get these fine connections?”
I spotted Leslie over in the corner smirking.
“They got me mixed up with somebody else,” I said. “I passed by the other day, and they must’ve had me mistaken.”
“That’s it?” Michelle said. “They don’t make mistakes like that.”
“Who are you really?” Casey said and laughed. “I can’t believe Londyn is some type of high level spy and she didn’t tell us. What’s your code name Londyn? Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with us.”
“I didn’t want to spoil it,” I said. “But since you all insist. I called ahead of time and reserved the booth. I instructed them to say it was on the house, while I pretended to not know what was happening. I wanted to mess with y’all and shake things up a little. Happy bachelorette party Leslie!”
“Aww, I thought you had a wilder story,” Alyssa said. “But this is wonderful. Thanks!”
“Yeah, I thought you were going to say some man you know owns the bar,” Shauna said. “Or some man you met.”
We all cracked up.
“I was waiting for it to be so
mething profound too,” Leslie said. “I’m beginning to be suspicious of all of Londyn’s luck. All of a sudden it turned upside down.”
“And that’s why we’re playing those slots tonight,” Alyssa said. She pointed to me. “No exceptions. Londyn is our new lucky charm.”
“I know that’s right,” Casey said.
“So how much does a VIP booth cost here?” Michelle said. “These things are expensive or at least I thought so. With your salary, can you even afford—?”
“Michelle,” Alyssa said, “we will have none of that tonight.”
“None,” Shauna said.
“The only thing on the menu is fun,” Leslie said. “My wedding will be hectic enough. This party is not supposed to be a drag. Where are those drinks?”
Michelle sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry Londyn. I just miss the fact that Natalie isn’t here.”
Who is this Michelle? That guy she likes must have been rubbing off on her.
“I thought she was coming,” Leslie said.
“She was,” Michelle said. “Up until a week ago she was super excited. Then she called, saying something happened with work and she couldn’t go. She wants the report of the weekend though.”
“But it’s better to be here and experience it,” Alyssa said.
“I know right,” Michelle said. “We had everything planned out too. I don’t know. We’re best friends. Naturally, I sensed that something was off. When she told me about her change in plans, I thought she’d be more disappointed than she was. I don’t even think she had a plane ticket to cancel. I’m over it.”
“It’s good that you said something,” Leslie said. “It helps to let that frustration go.”
We agreed.
“Now that you got that out of your system,” Casey said, “let’s have some fun shall we?”
“Yes,” I said. “All you need is a drink Michelle.” Or a few.
“Believe me I will have my share,” Michelle said.
“A little party favors to lighten up the mood?” Alyssa said, handing out some little rings that lit up.
“You know I thought you’d bring out some of those other types of favors,” Shauna said.
“We won’t need those,” Alyssa said. “You’ll see.”
“Oh no,” Shauna said while we laughed.
The waitress returned with our drinks. We held them up high.
“To Leslie,” I said. “May she have a beautiful wedding and marriage.”
“I toast to that,” Leslie said.
We clinked our glasses together and took a sip.
That night at the club was just as fun as the night I spent in there before. Our crazy group of friends had a good time dancing, talking, drinking, and eating those sliders.
All along the way I hoped the club managers wouldn’t see that they made a mistake and charge me for the booth and the free drinks that came with it. The cost would probably be something crazy like eight thousand dollars for that one night of fun. And I hoped that if they had mistaken me for someone else, the girl didn’t show up. We had a prime spot for people watching and room to sit down when we were tired.
At one point I thought I saw Hendrix at the bar. He had his back to me with a hat on. I might have concluded that I was dreaming, but when he turned his head to the side I knew it was his face. Michelle mentioned how fine he was standing at the bar. His clothes fit him just right. The jeans he was wearing…. Leslie dared me to go talk to him. Michelle said she would go for me, but when she stood up, the man left.
Some hours later, Alyssa gathered us together and asked if we wanted to keep it moving or stay there. She reminded us that we would be leaving anyway to go play the games in the casino. Since we were having so much fun, we stayed there and partied until the club almost closed. We notified the waitress that we were leaving, and I got nervous. The waitress said goodbye to us.
“Do you have the bill?” I said.
“For you?” the waitress said. “I don’t have a bill for you.”
“You don’t have a bill for the drinks?” I said. “And the food.”
“No. You’re VIP right?”
“For tonight, yes. I think we should still have a bill though.”
“Let me go check. I’ll be right back.”
“OK.”
“That’s weird,” Shauna said.
“I know,” I said.
The waitress returned and told me again that I didn’t have a bill. As a Star VIP it was on the house. Star VIP? I didn’t argue any further but wondered what was happening. All of that couldn’t have been because I was with Hendrix. How did they remember me?
Leslie pointed at me and smiled. “Your luck has changed my friend.”
“And were going to take advantage of it now,” Alyssa said.
“How about tomorrow?” I said. “Do you think all of us can make it?”
Alyssa shook her head. “Your golden luck may be dim by then.”
On the way out we held each other up. Some of us had more to drink than others. We found our way back to our hotel and into the casino. Alyssa was determined to make me play five games at least that night.
I tried my luck on blackjack. I shouldn’t have done that. I loved to play at home, but I wasn’t good at playing in Vegas. I only won one hand. We went to a couple different table games after.
Alyssa and Shauna played while we watched. Casey had random outbursts of laughter, which made the game even more fun. Michelle kept on talking about how much more glorious our time was going to be when her boyfriend got there, which was funny because she wasn’t with anyone. He had plenty of money to take us all out.
Teasing her, Leslie asked who she was referring to. Michelle said that we’d all see soon. Then she’d help the rest of us find someone like him. I came to understand that one of Leslie’s fiancée’s brothers that Michelle met was who she was mentioning. It was going to be interesting to meet him. Did he know? We were all smiles as Alyssa and Shauna won a little bit of money. Alyssa claimed it was due to me warming up her dice.
“Now it’s your turn again,” Alyssa said to me. “You can’t tell me your luck ran out already.”
“Leave her alone,” Leslie said. “You’ll mess up her luck.... We need it to get into that spa tomorroowwww.”
“We do,” Shauna said. “I’ve been trying to get appointment for the past month, and they’ve been booked solid. They said I can try walking up.”
“Which one is this?” I said.
“The one here at the hotel,” Leslie said and put her head on my shoulder. “The one you were raving about.”
“Oh,” I said. Hopefully the spa employees won’t remember me. Then I’d really have to tell the girls what happened. “Well that’s not the only good spa here. There are three others that are well known too. We can go to one of those instead.”
“Are you pullin’ out on me?” Leslie said and grinned.
Casey and Michelle cracked up while Shauna’s eyes went wide. “Language,” Shauna said.
Leslie poked me a few times. “I’m going to get to the… bottom of this. You’ll see.”
“OK, Leslie,” I said and pretended to act like she was crazy. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“We will,” Leslie said and giggled.
“Alyssa!” Casey said. “Did you win anything yet?! You get my spa money?”
“Shhh,” we said to Casey, laughing.
“Tell her to give me my money,” Casey said.
“I think it may be time to go,” I said.
“I think you’re right,” Alyssa said.
Chapter 9
Londyn
On our way to the elevator, Leslie wanted to stop by the bathroom, so Alyssa stayed with her. I made sure she had a key to our room in case I’d be with Casey and Michelle. The rest of us continued to our rooms. When we reached the elevator, to our surprise, it was on the first floor already. Shuffling in, I yawned. Time for bed indeed. My eyes closed so many times that I didn’t detect a person standi
ng in the corner.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “I almost stepped on you.” I pulled my head up to see Hendrix, who flashed his teeth.
“It’s quite alright miss,” he said.
How did he… Where did he come from? I blinked a couple of times.
“Londyn!!” Casey said. “Whoa! See her luck comes in different ways Alyssa. Where’s Alyssa?”
“She’s coming up,” I said.
The girls checked out Hendrix as I lunged to press our floor numbers on the elevator. My floor was already lit, so either he was coming down to the casino for a late night snack, or he had just gotten on and wanted to visit me? Or he had another woman staying on the same floor.
Michelle fanned herself and slid over to my side of the elevator. Casey followed. “You look familiar…” Michelle said. “Like my man.”
“Really?” Hendrix said.
“He’s sexy just like you,” Michelle said.
“What are you doing later?” Casey said.
I dragged in some air. “OK, you two,” I said, trying to save Hendrix from dealing with them. “Let’s leave this man alone. I’m sure he doesn’t want to be bothered.” Perhaps I needed to question him though, about the bill at Club Lounge.
“How can you be so sure?” Casey said.
Shauna helped me haul the two back to the other side.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Hendrix.
“Don’t apologize for having fun,” he said.
The bell rang, signaling Michelle, Shauna, and Casey’s floor.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Casey said as we strayed off of the elevator.
“Sorry,” Shauna said, her voice sounding embarrassed.
Hendrix chuckled and said, “Good night ladies.”
“Good night sexy,” Casey said as the doors closed.
I spun around and apologized again, mouthing the words. Then I helped Shauna take Casey and Michelle to her room. Michelle crawled into bed and fell asleep. Casey lay down on the end of Shauna’s bed.
“I can take Casey to Alyssa’s room if you want,” I said.
“No, that’s all right,” Shauna said. “Alyssa should be here any moment.”
