by K. C. Crowne
I went over to the mini bar and grabbed a bottle of champagne. Moments later it was open, two bubbling glasses in our hands.
“To new beginnings?” I asked.
“I’ll drink to that.”
Gia
I hated that smile. Hated-hated-hated it. Whenever Gavin flashed that grin, that pearly-white sliver of teeth, one corner of his mouth pulled up slightly more than the other, his dimples deep-set, I knew what it meant.
It meant he knew exactly what I was thinking.
He’d given it to me during the ride over to the airport, when he’d asked me about the lights and such in my place. I’d put on a show, but he’d been right – that was exactly what had been on my mind. And it’d been the same deal when he’d asked me what was going on between us. I’d been putting up a wall of cold professionalism, hoping it’d be enough to dissuade him. It usually worked. Most guys who wanted more from me than what I was willing to give them seemed to always back off when I put up that front. Something about a confident woman who knew just what she wanted and didn’t take any shit made the exact sort of man I didn’t want anything to do with leave me alone.
Gavin, of course, was different. He knew what I was doing and knew that I was putting up a big wall to discourage him from bringing up the subject of our past. He blew right through it, stopping when I’d told him there was nothing to discuss. That had been another lie, of course. And I was sure he’d seen through that one, too. But he hadn’t gone any further, halting right as he approached the line.
Instead, we chatted. We talked about nothing consequential, Gavin mostly wanting to know about my life since high school, about the business I’d founded.
“So,” he said, topping off both of our glasses, “you found yourself in the party-planning business. I have to admit, that’s something of a surprise.”
“Why?” I asked with a challenging smile. “You think it’s stupid?”
“No, not at all. More that…with a brain like yours, you could’ve done anything. Hell, if you would’ve told me you were working for NASA designing the next generation of space rockets, I’d believe you. So, when I heard that you were running a party-planning business, I was curious.”
He was such a freaking smooth guy. With a few words, he’d managed to compliment my intelligence and my job at the same time. It was easy to see why he didn’t have any problems getting whatever girl he wanted back in high school – including me. The man had a way of making you feel like you were the only girl in the room.
“To be honest, it surprised me too. When I graduated from CSU, I started working for this party-planning company in Fort Collins, just as a part-time thing. But the longer I did it, the more I realized I loved it. It’s challenging and there’s never a dull moment. Nothing like being in the middle of some event you’ve planned and watching it all come together perfectly.”
“Not to mention you get to meet tons of interesting people, like yours truly.”
I laughed in the way I always did when he made some too-cocky-for-his-own-good joke. “Yeah, I get to have a nice, simple life until men from my past show up, ask me to do some fake auction to get revenge on their ex-wives, and con me into going to Vegas with them.”
Silence fell, and the question came to mind. What the hell had happened between him and Mariah? And where was the kid? The question in my mind, words came tumbling out of my mouth.
“So, what’s it like being a dad?”
I asked the question knowing something was up, that there was likely more to the story than him having a kid with Mariah and raising with her. After all, he hadn’t spoken a word about the subject with me or anyone else, as far as I knew.
“What?”
“Your kid. When you went off with Mariah you did it because she was pregnant with your baby. I’m not hung up on it or anything, but I am curious how being a dad has changed you.”
He didn’t say a word, but his expression darkened like a storm cloud about to explode with lightning. His jaw clenched, and he ripped his eyes from mine. I hadn’t phrased the question as artfully as I could’ve, but his reaction was one I hadn’t expected.
“There’s no kid.”
I watched his fist clench and unclench, as if the subject had put an incredible amount of tension in his body that he had to work through. It was so fucking bizarre. Gavin was always cool, chill, never letting anything get to him. But the subject of his child was obviously off-limits.
The obvious-as-hell answer hit me like a truck – a miscarriage. He must’ve run off with Mariah to get married only for her to have a miscarriage. What other explanation would there be for him not to have a kid and for his marriage to Mariah to have fallen apart.
“I was only asking out of curiosity. We don’t have to talk about it.”
He nodded and looked away, as if he realized how intense his reaction must’ve appeared. Gavin cleared his throat. “This is nice,” he said, speaking quickly, as if he wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. “Believe it or not, I don’t have anything like this.” He waved his finger in the air between us.
“Like what?” Relief settled over me. He smiled, and I took that as my cue that the subject of his baby with Mariah was officially dropped.
“You know – a friendship with a woman. I haven’t been friends with a woman since high school – since you.”
My heart beat faster at the mention of our history.
“And more than that, I don’t deserve one.”
I couldn’t help but smirk and roll my eyes at this little display. “Come on,” I said. “No need for melodrama.”
He grinned, letting me know he was putting on a bit of a show. “But seriously, that’s one of the things that hurt the worst about you and me. We weren’t just a couple – we were friends.”
His comment was a little too close to the subject of our history to make me all comfortable.
“Well,” I said. “If you’re that upset about how it all turned out between us, then there’s a very simple solution to that problem.”
“And what’s that?”
I leaned in close. “Stop sleeping with them.”
Our eyes stayed locked on one another’s for several moments. I hadn’t intended it, but the leaning in brought me very close to him, close enough that I could smell his rich musk, close enough for me to see the little flecks of gold in his electric blue eyes.
He laughed, breaking the tension. “Come on – that hasn’t been a problem for a long time.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet. I’m sure a rich, handsome doctor has tons of trouble getting women.”
He shrugged. “I mean, if I wanted to date, I could. But the thing is I don’t want to.”
“Then just make friends with these women whose friendships you’re evidently dying for, and don’t sleep with them.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Whatever was on his mind, he appeared to think better of it. Or was that just a show too? It was hard to tell with Gavin.
I sipped my wine, and the moment I swallowed it the plane lurched gently.
“Oh, we’re descending,” Gavin said. “Buckle up. We should be on the ground in twenty minutes or so.”
I took advantage of the situation to finish my wine in silence. As the plane sank lower and lower, I realized that I’d gotten too comfortable – I was a little tipsy. I’d have to make sure I kept myself on guard during the trip.
The last thing I wanted was to get drunk and end up doing something I most certainly should not be doing. And Gavin just had to make it even harder by being hot as hell.
We landed, the whirr of the engine fading as the plane came to a stop.
“We should have a car waiting for us,” I said, unbuckling and getting up.
“We did,” Gavin replied. “But I took care of that, too.”
“Why?”
He grinned. “I called the rental place they’d booked for the weekend. They had a car set aside for us, but I went ahead and upgraded.”
“You’ll see.” He winked at me as he headed to the door, which opened as he approached.
“You know,” I said as we stepped down the stairwell to the tarmac. “The whole point of a weekend package like this is that you don’t have to worry about any of that stuff.”
I stopped on the stairs, taking in the oven-warm air and clear, blue sky. We’d only been in the plane for a short time, but we’d traveled into a totally different environment.
“I know, but if you’re going to spend a weekend in Vegas, you might as well spend a weekend in Vegas. That’s the whole point of the city, to get a taste of opulence.”
I had to admit, the man made a good case.
“Let me ask you this,” he said, pulling our bags out of the plane storage compartment. “When’s the last time you really treated yourself, totally cut loose?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get a single word out, he cut me off.
“And I don’t mean staying in on a Saturday night with wine and old horror movies.”
The man had me pegged. That was one of the downsides of spending time with someone you knew intimately – they could always spot your attempts at bullshit.
“What’s wrong with wine and Dracula?” I asked. “That’s fun.”
“Sure,” he said. “But that’s not what I’m talking about.”
He loaded the bags into the back of the car that awaited us.
“I mean, total luxury.”
We climbed into the back of the car, and the driver drove us across the runways. The airport was small and private, and I already preferred it to the insane hustle and bustle of a normal airport.
Gavin continued our conversation. “A day at the spa, a day off to go for a hike away from the city, that sort of thing.”
I wanted to laugh at the question. When the hell would I have time for something like that? “Um, never,” I said, the wind blowing through my hair. “Truth be told, I don’t even know what it’s like to relax. Aside from wine and horror movies ”
“Then I’ve got a goal for this weekend,” he said with a grin. “I’m going to make sure you come out the other side more relaxed than you’ve been in years.”
“And what kind of relaxing did you have in mind?” The moment I spoke the words I realized what kind of implication I’d made by emphasizing what I had. Heat tinged my cheeks.
“You’re always so damn cute when you get embarrassed.”
“I’m not embarrassed,” I said, noting the car approached the airport. “It’s the sun. It’s so bright. And I’m fair-skinned, so…” I cleared my throat, trailing off.
The smirk on his face said it all. That damn smirk.
Thankfully, we arrived at the airport before the conversation could go on any further. Before I could put even a single foot on the ground, however, Gavin zipped out and grabbed the bags out of the back of the car.
“Are you serious?” I asked, my hands on my hips.
He grinned. “I don’t get a chance to be a gentleman very often – let me have this one, pretty please.” He followed this up with an exaggerated pout, one I couldn’t help but laugh at
“Fine, fine,” I said. Right, a gentleman...
“You alright over there?” he asked as we walked into the airport.
“Yeah.” I got ahold of my thoughts, focusing on the moment. “Just got distracted for a sec.”
We stepped into the airport. “We’re in the city for that. There’s so much to see and do here that we’re going to have trouble figuring out how to fit it into one evening.”
“You’re starting to sound like an expert on this place.”
“Not an expert, but I’ve been here more than a few times. You’re going to love it. The lights, the excitement, the energy in the air. It’s like no place on earth.”
“There.” He pointed ahead, a man in a dark suit holding a sign that read Davenport.
“Wow,” I said as we started toward the driver. I had to admit that his excitement was becoming contagious. “I’ve never been picked up by a dude holding a sign before.”
When we stepped up to him, Gavin confirming who we were, and the man quickly took our bags.
“You have to let him do it,” Gavin said with a grin. “It’s his job.”
I didn’t bother arguing. Moments later we were in the back of a sleek, black luxury car, the cab featuring leather seats, one row facing the other, a small bar tucked away into the futuristic control panel. Gavin opened it and selected a small bottle of wine, pouring two glasses. When he handed one to me, I knew I should’ve said no, but I couldn’t resist.
“Cheers,” he said, raising his glass as the car pulled away from the airport.
“Cheers.” We tapped rims and I got a headrush the moment my lips touched the glass. The excitement of the trip was catching up with me.
“You’re going to love Caesar’s Palace,” he said. “And don’t worry –”
“Let me guess,” I said. “You did a little upgrade to the room.”
He grinned. “Sure did. The room they picked for us is nice, but the penthouse suites are something special – some of the most amazing hotel rooms in the world.”
And how many beds will this suite have? I wondered.
“We’ve got the show tonight, but the day until then is all ours. We can get something to eat, check out the sights, do a little gambling.”
I watched out the window as he talked. Downtown Vegas grew in the distance, a stunning sight. I could’ve sworn I wasn’t a Vegas kind of girl. The lights, the noise, the…everything, it had always struck me as somewhat gauche. But as we approached, the excitement built. Maybe it was the way Gavin built it all up, maybe it was the couple glasses of wine warming my belly, but I was starting to feel a little giddy.
Then we hit the Strip. Even in the bright light of day the famous street was something to behold. My face remained plastered to the window as we passed by the casinos. The MGM was outrageously grand, and Treasure Island was amazing. I wanted to explore every hotel and gaped at New York New York as we drove by.
Caesar’s Palace was something else, though; all white, with gorgeous marble statues of horses with their legs raised in the air positioned around a gorgeous fountain. The jets of water shot high into the blue sky above, mesmerizing in the beauty. Intricately trimmed greenery lined the front façade. At that moment I was totally caught up in the opulence, feeling like I’d been taken back in time.
Staff flocked to the car as we arrived. Gavin stepped out, giving them his name. They grabbed our bags and disappeared into the hotel.
“You ready for this?” he asked, a grin on his face that suggested he knew exactly what we were about to experience.
“About as ready as I’m going to be.” He took my hand, and I was in such a state of excitement that I didn’t even bother to let it go.
“Let’s do this.” He pulled me through the doors. And the sight on the other side was like nothing I’d ever seen before.
Circles. That’s what I noticed at first. The rooms were massive and circular, with gorgeous Romanesque frescos on the ceiling, intricate tapestries under our feet. Rows and rows of gaming machines were straight ahead, chimes and colorful lights carrying through the expanse.
The hotel was packed with hundreds of people playing cards and tossing coins into slots and drinking and having the time of their lives. Pretty waitresses zipped here and there, placing free drinks into the hands of customers with a wink and a smile, all of it designed to encourage the tourists to toss whatever money they had into the machines and onto the tables.
“It’s something else, huh?” Gavin asked. “Come on – the Octavius Penthouse awaits.”
“The what?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he led me to the front desk where he checked in. I was so overwhelmed by that I didn’t mind Gavin taking charge.
Moments later, the smiling clerk handed him a keycard, and a pair of men in sharp suits appear
ed to lead us up. We took an elevator up, the walls a gorgeous, mirrored gold. Before I knew it, the doors were open again and the room spread out before us.
It was a huge space, two floors with a big living room, the walls glass and providing an amazing view of the city. Light poured into the room, making it seem even more dreamlike.
All I could do was plop down onto the huge, half-circle couch and gaze in wonder. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Gavin slip a hundred to each of the men, thanking them before they stepped back into the elevator.
“Now, is this the same layout as the room Duncan picked? I remember him saying they made sure to get a multiple bedroom suite so neither of the people going felt, you know, pressure to do anything.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What kind of anything are you thinking about?”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t play dumb.”
Gavin hoisted the bags off the floor and carried them to the massive, circular glass dining table near the window. He unzipped one and pulled out a few articles of clothing.
“Just busting your chops. And yes – I made sure to get a suite with multiple bedrooms.”
“Multiple?”
“There’s three in total. But I wouldn’t be upset if we only ended up using one of them.”
I said nothing for a moment, stunned that he’d be so bold. “Please tell me you didn’t just say that. Please tell me you’re joking.”
He winked. “Totally joking. Not an ounce of seriousness here.” Then, still going through his bag, he glanced over his shoulder at me. “Unless…”
I stood up. “Gavin, you can’t seriously be suggesting we hook up again.”
Gavin shrugged with all the nonchalance as if I’d shot down a lunch suggestion. “Why not? I mean, you’re not still living in the past, are you?”
Just like that, the goodwill he’d managed to build over the last few hours with his usual charm and warmth vanished. It reminded me of what kind of man he was: a selfish prick who only thought about his own needs.
I offered him an unladylike grunt, then hissed, “Prick.” I stormed over to him, yanking my bags off the table and stomping up the stairs.