by R. Lorelei
What happened in Vegas:
Didn’t Stay In Vegas!
By
R. Lorelei
Copyright © 2014 by R. Lorelei
Smashwords Edition
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Edited: K. Murphy
Cover: SelfPubCov Nicolebcreative
***Violence and Adult Content***
Special thanks to Shadonna Richards
(I wouldn’t have started writing if it wasn’t for you!), Rhea Christine, and Andrea Almeida
for their support and encouragement.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
~1~
Chanel
I followed my real estate agent, Aria, into the lobby of the first loft she wanted me to see. She looked to be in her mid-thirties like me, and she had really big, curly brown hair with the most beautiful blue eyes hidden behind tacky, black-framed glasses that looked like they were stolen from Elvis’s wardrobe.
Her lacking sense of style was compensated by her bubbly personality and her supposed savvy bargaining skills. Her reputation, however, apparently preceded her, and I needed to make a note to myself and thank Nick for hooking me up with her. I was confident Aria would find me a deal, an affordable loft or condo close to the hospital where I was hired to work.
Aria said, “I have it on good authority that the gorgeous owner is willing to decrease the cost of rent, if a tenant is found quickly."
“Gorgeous owner?”
“Gorgeous.”
“How gorgeous?”
“Gorgeous, gorgeous.”
“Your gorgeous and my gorgeous could be entirely different.”
“Unlikely.”
“How unlikely?”
“Very unlikely.” Her eyes glowed as we bantered with each other. I finished looking at the loft when she said, “There is one more thing you should know before you give me your answer.”
“That would be?”
“I will be your neighbor. I happen to live in 814.
“So what do you think? This in your high end..,” she warned.
“I’ll still take it!”
Aria's eyes sparkled and she grabbed her glasses from on top of her head, “You are saying, ‘yes' to the loft? You’re taking it?”
“Yes,” We hugged each other tightly and squealed. I could smell her perfume as her big curls flew into my face and tickled my neck. I liked that I was going to have a friend in my new place, it was less intimidating.
Aria pulled away first, “Are you ready to go back and get your car?”
“Please.” The entire way back to the office we chatted idly about the loft and the surrounding vicinities. I couldn’t wait to move in.
When we got back to Aria’s office, I hopped into Snowball and took off back to my dingy apartment. Snowball was the white 2014 Mercedes I treated myself to when I became a resident.
My answering machine was flashing red. I pressed the button to listen to the messages while I undressed for a shower. Nick’s voice echoed through my living room. “Hey, Coco, did Aria find you a place? Call me!” He knew I hated it when he called me Coco. My name was Chanel but he never used it. Maybe if he wasn’t so metrosexual he probably never would have made the association. Nick was like an annoying brother you could never get rid of, but I definitely owed him after he set me up with Aria. Note to self, I have to be nicer to him! (Like that was ever going to happen!)
The second message was a voice I never heard before, she sounded irate. I rewound the tape to listen to it, “Henry, the baby is your’s, you were full of shit when you said you were snipped, I’ll see you in court!” I couldn’t help but laugh as I stepped into the shower and let the warm water engulf me.
~2~
Aria
Chanel answered her phone on the third ring. She sounded like I got her at a bad time. “Chanel? Bad time?”
“Oh no, not at all, Aria?”
“That would be me!”
“Any news?”
“Headlines, baby, headlines! Can we meet?”
Chanel hesitated, “Sure, where and when?”
“Let’s meet at a little pub near your new loft.” I chose the Paddock because of its warm and friendly atmosphere.
I hopped in the shower and dressed to the nines in my best outfit. It was a knockoff Kavita Bhartia dress I found in a thrift store a few blocks from Holts. I shot a quick email Chase’s way in case he decided to join us. He was Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. I would have given my left breast just to get that fine man to notice me. The things I would do! It made me wet just imagining it.
When I found out Chase was listing the loft with our company, I brought everyone to see his place hoping I would hit the Jackpot with a potential client who would rent his loft. They could have been looking for anything, I didn’t care, bungalow, mansion, I still brought them there.
Chanel, was a bittersweet catch. I liked her the second I met her. She was friendly, smart, and witty. The thought of living next door to her and having girly nights in was enticing. We could rent movies, go for drinks, share secrets. The one exception would be clothes that is, as her sense of style was way out there. I had only seen her on two different occasions and each time she wore blouses that barely covered her breasts and her stilettos! Her stilettos should have been called stilts since they were way too high. I would definitely have to take that girl shopping and help her pick out more flattering clothes.
I opened my MacBook Air and quickly punched out an email to Chase:
To: Chase
Cc:
From: Aria
Subject: Meeting
Hi, Chase,
I am meeting at the Paddock at seven with potentially your new tenant for drinks and lease signing. You are more than welcome to drop by
if you are able. I’m sure you are very busy! If you can’t make it, we can meet at my office Monday for you to sign.
Yours truly,
Aria
I bolded yours truly and then thought better of it and changed it back. I knew I was never going to have a chance with Chase once he saw Chanel’s gloriously long legs, huge boobs, and her flawless, porcelain complexion. Her eyes were the most unique brown I had ever seen, and she had these perfectly pouty cherry lips that looked like they already had lipstick on them, even though you knew they didn’t. Her hair, well, that was her best damn feature. She had wavy and layered hair with tons of seemingly natural highlights. There was absolutely no way anyone could be blessed with that color, so it had to be from a bottle. I had to make a mental note to find out where she went for her color jobs.
I put the phone on vibrate and threw it into the knockoff Gucci bag I bought to match my "Kavita Bhartia" dress. I put my makeup on dark because of the time of day and the lighting at the Paddock, which was very dim. I spritzed Oscar on myself for two long seconds a squirt. I must have done at least two or three long squirts in total. I left a whisper of fragrance everywhere I went. Nothing was better than a lasting impression!
I arrived at the Paddock before anyone else and chose a secluded table so we wouldn’t be interrupted frequently by passersby. I laid the lease on the table and pulled my phone out of my purse to play Candy Crush Saga while I waited. I had been stuck on level ninety-two for weeks now and no matter what special candies I collected, I couldn’t pass this stage in the allowed number of moves. It was frustrating to say the least.
Chanel didn’t show until midway through my fourth life. I briskly switched off the game and put my phone on vibrate throwing it back into my purse before smiling and standing up to hug her.
Oh my God, the clothes she wore the other two times I saw her made her look like Mother Theresa compared to what she had on tonight. The only way I could describe tonight's fashion statement in fewer words or much less would be: outrageously smutty. To think, she was a resident becoming a doctor! Didn’t have to think hard to figure out how she became "head" of her class. I liked her, so I tried not to make any assumptions.
Nick trailed Chanel closely behind like there was an imaginary leash from Chanel’s hand to his neck. He was dressed superbly, which made me question whether or not he was gay. He wore a dark suit that looked like it was tailored especially for him, shoes imported from Italy, and his blue eyes, olive complexion, and his short spiky hair made him appealing to both sexes. Gay, heterosexual, definitely metrosexual, he was eye candy to anyone who saw him and had any modicum of taste! After I let go of Chanel, I air kissed this beautiful stranger before taking to my seat.
~3~
Chanel
We got to the Paddock ten minutes late. Nick kept me waiting like usual. I don’t know what he does to get ready, but he takes longer than most women.
It was a mild winter night; big snowflakes fell from the sky. It was absolutely beautiful. I opened the door to the bar and my senses were accosted by an odour of perfume that filled the air. It was far too strong, toxic even. I wanted to step outside and free myself from the obnoxious scent, but I caught sight of Aria doing something with her phone so I stopped myself and propelled forward. The closer I got to Aria, the stronger the scent became. I could predict a searing headache in my immediate future.
She stood giving me a hug and the hem of her dress kissed the floor. The sequins and design appeared to be Indian: it was quite stunning. She also had rid herself of those horrible Elvis-inspired glasses she wore to our last meeting.
The waitress hustled over to take our orders. Aria and I opted for the house wine. Nick ordered a Cosmo, which was typical. Aria handed me the lease.
I grinned at her. “I’m so happy!”
Aria started biting her lip, so refraining from opening the package I asked her, “Is there something you need to tell me?”
She hesitated. “It’s Snowball’s parking spot.”
“What about Snowball’s parking spot? There is a parking spot, right?”
Nick rolled his eyes. “It’s a car for god sakes!”
Frustrated, I turned to Nick. “It might be to you, maybe. You started it by the way when you called your car Jezebel.”
Nick rolled his eyes like only he does and said, “Whatever! I called her that when she broke down on me, it was out of anger.”
I turned back to Aria. “Go on,” I encouraged. Aria smiled but lacked the confidence I gave her credit for, “There is a home for Snowball, but it has its own separate charge.”
“How much, Aria?” I asked with an edgy voice. I crossed my arms in front of my chest bracing myself for what she was going to say.
“Thirty-five thousand.”
My arms dropped.
Nick’s eyes popped from his head. “Holy hell!”
“You can’t be serious!” I sputtered.
“Deadly! I did everything in my power to get him to drop or lower the fee for you but nothing worked.
“Do all the spots cost that kind of money?”
“Unfortunately they do.” With that, I saw a man heading for our table. Aria noticed my stare and followed my eyes past her to the mystery man, who happened to stop right behind her chair.
~4~
He wore a black three piece suit and Tanino Crisci shoes. I never would have known they were designer shoes had it not been for Nick’s profoundly rude reaction to Chase entering the bar. He stared Chase down as he approached our table. I had no choice but nudge Nick to get him to stop. Nick looked over at me defensively with raised brow and mouthed, “What?”
I whispered back, “Stop staring. You’re really embarrassing!”
Nick’s face was awestruck. “He’s wearing Tanino Crisci shoes!”
“Oh, that explains it!” I hissed having no idea what Tanino Crisci shoes were. “Wipe your drool!” I ordered with irritation.
He shot back in his defense, “They are the most expensive Italian shoes ever. They don’t make them anymore. The man is wearing gold on his feet.”
Aria, seemingly unaware of our exchange, began making introductions. “Chase, this is Chanel and Nick. Chanel is going to be renting your loft, and Nick is her friend and witness. Chanel and Nick, this is Chase.” She looked at him smiling flirtatiously with her eyes. “I’m ever so glad that you could make it.” Under her breath I could have sworn I heard her say something about the parking spot.
Chase looked at me and took my hand kissing it lightly. “The pleasure is all mine.” His eyes were dark, unreadable. His formality was unnerving, and I was not sure I was going to like him. He made me feel jittery. His short dark hair was styled on purpose to be shaggy, which suited him perfectly. I chuckled to myself thinking this guy was the only one I'd ever met who could possibly outdo Nick in the class and style department. I thought I would never see the day.
Chase’s eyes met mine. “Do I amuse you?”
“Hardly,” I said, struck by his egocentrism, I wasn’t going to let on that he could well be God’s gift to womankind. If he was anything like Nick who acted like he knew he was God’s gift, the world would implode. Really, there just wasn’t enough room in it for both of them. “You haven’t had enough time to be able to amuse me, since you just got here.”
Nick pulled out a chair for Chase. “Please, join us. What’ll you have?”
“I’ll just have a Carlsberg,” Chase said.
Nick left the table to order the beer. Chase reached for the lease lying in front of me. Chase studied me. “Have you had a chance to review the lease?”
I looked at him. “I have.”
“Are you happy with it?”
“The price of the parking spot is exorbitant for my budget. I was just about to mention this to Aria; I’m going to have to pass on it.”
Chase’s thick fingers started scratching his five o’clock shadow before he began to leaf through the lease presumably looking for that particular section.
He pulled a pen from his pocket and scratched out something and then scribbled something else. He signed his section and then after Nick placed Chase’s beer in front of him, Chase slid the lease to him for signing. “Surely your friend Chanel won’t need more time to consider after I’ve changed the price.”
Nick smirked, signed in his spot, and then slid it to me.
I looked at the lease and noted he scratched out $35,000 and wrote in its place complimentary. I signed the rental agreement. Aria gathered the lease and put it away. Her face was flushed, her commission obviously being affected.
“Well, I guess that’s it then! Welcome, neighbor!” She gave me a friendly hug and Nick and Chase clinked glasses, Cosmopolitan to beer.
We finished our drinks and casual conversation before I decided to call it an early night, “Thank you for coming. I’m going to call it an evening. I start my Residentship tomorrow.”
Nick’s eyes lit up. “I forgot, Coco, I’ll grab you when I go have a cigarette. Try not to kill anyone your first week!”
I rolled my eyes at Nick’s brazen comment. “Promise, unless you’re the patient!”
Chase’s eyebrows furrowed. “Oh, where’s your Residentship?”
“Toronto General. I’m following a cardiologist.”
“Impressive,” he commented. “Why did you choose the General?”
I gestured at Nick and answer Chase’s question. “Some dickwad who drinks cosmos told me it’s one of the best cardiac centers in the world.”
Chase grinned from ear to ear for the first time as he faced Nick. “Dickwad happens to be correct. What does this dickwad do?” Chase totally knew we were talking about Nick and his playful, inquisitive demeanor was sort of cute.
Nick looked at Chase without flinching or acknowledging his new nickname. “I’m a Respirology resident at the General.”
“You smoke cigarettes? Not the best of role models, I see,” Chase proffered.
“I’ll quit when I pass my residency. I plan to move up the ranks to becoming CEO.” Nick’s tone was dead serious.
