Steeling My Haart

by Lizzy Roberts

  “Sounds like a plan, and I’d sure like to have a go on the slots at least before we leave. I can’t come to Vegas and not have at least one night of gambling.” She pouted at him playfully.

  “There is a full afternoon of fun to be had before tonight too so come on drink up young lady and let the tour commence.” Emma was forced to put down the remains of her drink and grab her purse as Bruce grabbed her by the hand and headed out towards the elevator and the crazy city beyond. She could feel Bruce was buzzing with excitement as he led her down to the lobby. As they reached the front entrance of the hotel she noticed that he tipped the doorman generously as he held the waiting cab door open for her.

  “Where to, sir?” the detached voice crackled via the intercom through the cab.

  “The Forum, Caesars Palace.” Bruce’s reply was short as the cab pulled out and onto the famous Las Vegas strip. Looking out of the window at the overstated luxury of the hotels she was in awe of the extravagance of the place. She had barely been here a few hours and she was already feeling like an alien. She also felt a spark of excitement about the afternoon that had been so thoughtfully planned for her to enjoy. Bruce had in no way even made her feel uncomfortable in his company and she had to admit he was being the perfect gent. Looking over at him, she caught him watching her taking in the city surroundings with a small smile on his face. She smiled back at him and turned to look back out of the window as the cab crept slowly in the midday traffic on the strip towards their destination.

  “This place is just one big playground, and although it’s Sin City in a lot of ways, there are plenty of other things to do, as well. I’m thinking we hit up the Cheesecake Factory first then we can do some shopping for an outfit for us both for later. You might need a new outfit for what I have planned tonight,” he smiled, and then turned to look out of the window. She noticed he kept drifting away into his own little world. She saw a cloud of despondency then sweep over his face, as if he was recollecting something personal. He remained quiet for the rest of the short cab ride.

  As they reached their destination he jumped up and paid the cab driver, he then walked and opened Emma’s door and helped her out of the cab. She startled as he took her hand in his, like it was the most normal thing to do. He led her towards the hotel and through the main lobby towards the Forum shops. The luxury of the hotel coupled with the over the top glamour of the shopping area left Emma speechless. Living in New York was a huge step up for a small-town Oklahoma girl, but walking into this was impressive. An excited Bruce led her through the artificial streets that were lined with every designer shop imaginable. After walking the full length of the mall, they finally arrived at their lunch destination. There was no queue when they arrived because it was still slightly early for the major lunch rush. They were seated immediately in the area outside of the restaurant on Bruce’s request. He insisted she was seated facing the shopping mall.

  “Wow, this place is amazing. I have heard so much about Las Vegas, but nothing anyone can say will prepare you for all… this.” She waved her hands around the scene in front of her. As she did, she noticed a change in the music and the sound of a voice booming from across the atrium from where they sat. All of a sudden, the huge sculpture in the middle of the large open space came to life. For the next ten minutes, the famed Fall of Atlantis scene played out in front of her. Bruce had turned to watch the scene unfolding too bouncing in his seat like a child.

  “See, Emma, this is the perfect spot to watch the show, besides me liking the desserts here, wasn’t it worth it just for that?” This was a side of Bruce that Emma was enjoying more and more and she relaxed with him into a general conversation about a couple of the projects she was working on with him whilst they ordered and ate a light lunch.

  “So what’ll it be, then?” he asked as the server cleared their empty plates.

  “What do you mean?” she replied.

  “Cheesecake, of course? What else?” He looked at her incredulously, as if she had just asked the most stupid question ever.

  “I’m having the Snickers one, it’s the best.” He winked.

  Laughing heartily for the first time in a long time, Emma pondered the menu the server had just handed her for a second before deciding, “Well, if you insist, it has to be the Godiva Chocolate one for me. It’s just the most amazing chocolate ever.”

  “I’ll remember that one. Godiva chocolate. Got it. It might come in useful for persuasion purposes down the line.”

  “Cheeky! But, yes, aside from the Blaze’s Bake it’s one of my all-time favorite treats and often works to butter me up”

  “Blaze’s Bake? As in M’s Place Blaze’s Bake? I didn’t know you liked M’s Place? I’ve been going there for years. It’s one of my favorite places to meet with… erm… friends.” He stopped short before he was about to confess to something.

  “Yes, as you know I live near there, so it’s my local go-to place. I’ve been going ever since they opened. I’m surprised I haven’t seen you there before,” she said.

  “I don’t go a whole lot anymore, though…” He sighed as a disheartened look crossed his face. He looked at her regretfully as he shook it off and smiled just as the waitress brought their cheesecake.

  After devouring about half of the huge slice of the most delicious cake Emma had tasted in a while, Bruce insisted on paying the bill. They left and hadn’t wandered far before they hit the most exclusive shops. Bruce was an enthusiastic shopping buddy and even convinced her to try on a few dresses in Christian Dior. Even though she could afford to shop in places like this occasionally, she never chose to spend so much on clothing.

  After leading Emma into the dressing area, the sales assistant had brought her an armful of dresses Bruce had chosen. She had to admit the guy had taste. He also seemed to have an eye for coloring and when she tried the first dress on she knew that even the exorbitant price tag wouldn’t stop her from buying it. She could afford it and it had been so long since she had an opportunity to properly dress up. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, it was as if the dress had been made for her. It was a deep burgundy, made from silk with a chiffon overlay that made the sweeping floor length skirt hang to perfection of her tiny hips. The bodice was made of the same material but draped over one shoulder and wrapped around the back gathering at the narrowed waistband. It showcased her amazing figure perfectly.

  “My goodness, Miss McKellan, you look absolutely stunning.” The sales assistant drew in a sharp breath as Emma stepped out wearing the dress. She handed her a pair of heeled pumps and a clutch bag that complimented the dress perfectly she stated, “Your boyfriend out there is going to be the luckiest man this evening with you on his arm.” She smiled. Emma decided not to correct her and as she walked out of the changing room to find Bruce, the look on his face as she stepped out to him said it all.

  The sharp intake of air she noticed him take followed by the look of pure admiration in his eyes made Emma feel suddenly bashful. She became hyper aware of being watched as she was standing there in from of him. He walked over to her and held her hand whilst she turned a full circle for him, showing off her stunning figure. Without hesitation he leaned over and caressed her gently on the cheek with his thumb as he spoke quietly, “Emma, you are stunning. We’ll take it all,” he said, turning to the assistant. She blushed and retreated to get dressed. She wasn’t sure what just happened out there, but she felt something between them had shifted as he looked at her. As she walked away, she could feel the heat of the gaze upon her back as she entered the cubicle.

  When she had changed, she stole a few minutes to herself in the dressing room. She needed to be careful and had to remind herself to keep things strictly on a professional level with Bruce. She had felt something out there and it was close to causing her a real problem. Pulling herself together she walked back into the shop and felt instantly on edge. She noticed that Bruce was just putting his credit card away and picking up the few bags from the counter. He took her hand once
again and they left the shop.

  “Bruce, you can’t pay for that. I won’t let you. It’s way too much.” But he silenced her by putting a finger over her lips and looking her straight in the eyes,

  “Shh. I will if I want to, and you looked stunning. I will be more than proud to be taking you out tonight wearing that dress. It was made for you. When you walked out of that room looking so lovely and shy it just made me realize just how attractive you are when you let your defenses down a bit. I’m making it my mission this week to make that happen more often,” he promised her as they walked on.

  Blushing again, she turned away from him as he led her out of the shopping center and out in to the early evening sunshine. She couldn’t focus on much except for the sensation of her hand in Bruce’s and the way it was making her heart beat faster. Bruce walked on in silence, seemingly lost in his own world, only glancing at her occasionally. She caught him smiling nervously each time she glanced back. They walked a short distance down the sidewalk and Bruce hailed a cab to take them back to the hotel.

  Chapter Ten

  A comfortable silence had settled between them in the cab and they soon arrived back at the Mandalay Bay. Bruce steered her over to the reception desk in the lobby and handed over their shopping haul. As they were standing at the desk Bruce rested his hand gently on her lower back. She shivered slightly as a strange and slightly uneasy sensation ran down her spine. She quickly scanned the large lobby, not quite sure what she was looking for or what it was that was unsettling her. It wasn’t the hand now resting on her lower back that was unnerving her, but in fact standing there with Bruce was more of a reassurance. Shaking off the feeling as best as she could, she followed as Bruce approached the reception desk.

  “Could you please make sure that these get delivered safely to our room, ma’am?” he asked the receptionist.

  “Of course, Mr. Jenson, I will make sure that your bags are safely delivered to your suite right away, sir,” she replied as she took the bags from him.

  “Oh, and could I inquire as to whether the booking enquiry I made this morning has been confirmed?” Bruce asked.

  “Let me look, sir.” She glanced at the monitor in front of her and tapped a few keys. “Oh, yes, Mr. Jenson, as you requested, your appointment is in scheduled in half an hour. If you and Miss McKellan would like to make your way down right away and one of our employees will be waiting to assist you?” she said as she shuffled the papers that had just printed into some order. She placed them into an envelope and handed it to Bruce across the desk.

  “Thank you. We will head straight there.” As he took the envelope the receptionist offered him, he turned to Emma and smiled. “Right, now for surprise number one of today. Follow me.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked as she raised her eyebrow at him.

  “You’ll find out soon enough. Now hurry up, and come on! It’s quite a walk to where we have to be.” He tugged her hand again and led her down the long corridors of the hotel towards the Conference Centre a small smile crept on to his face.

  “I didn’t think we had tickets for the conference until tomorrow,” she queried, looking at him with a frown

  “We don’t! Today is mainly a trade day and not much use to us.” He stated, still grinning away.

  “So why are we going down toward the conference center, then?” the baffled reply came.

  “It’s a surprise, and for your information, we aren’t going to the conference center. We have to go past it to get to where we need to be. You don’t do surprises very well, do you?” He laughed.

  “No, I guess I don’t.” She stopped talking suddenly, as she spotted what she thought was a familiar outline ahead of them.

  At the back of a group of people walking a way ahead of them down the corridor, she saw the back of a vaguely familiar masculine figure. He was wearing a leather jacket and a smart pair of dark jeans and a pair of biker boots. He was sporting fairly long dark blonde hair, tied neatly into a ponytail. She was convinced other than the long scruffy hair it could have been Charlie. He was in deep conversation with a group of the other people and she assumed that they were delegates for the conference tomorrow.

  As he turned to face her, she swore again that it was Charlie, but the guy in front of her was a lot better built than she had remembered him being and had quite a long beard covering his face. She tried to catch his eye but from that distance it was impossible. She tried to squint to see if she could get a clear look at his face and he turned and stared at her for a moment. She instantly felt chills creeping over her body. But no sooner had the mystery man glanced her way, he was ushered by the other people in the group in the opposite direction. Shaking the strange feeling she had she walked on with Bruce. He had been chattering away to her excitedly unaware of what had just happened. She began to wonder if the mystery man had indeed been Charlie. If so, why was he here? And if it was him surely he would have come over to her.

  Suddenly, Bruce’s animated voice broke through her daydream, “We’re here!” and turning to the attendant at the desk, “We have a private tour booked for Mr. Jenson and Miss McKellan,” he stated.

  “Right this way, Mr. Jenson, Miss McKellan. David will be out to show you around in a few minutes. Please take a seat and help yourself to the refreshments set out over there while you wait.” The attendant was efficient and led them into a room with a couple of overstuffed couches and a flat screen television mounted on the wall. The aquarium was playing a video about the good that the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef was doing for conservation across the world. Emma slowly came back to reality goose bumps still evident across her arms when she realized Bruce had brought her for a private tour of the aquarium.

  “How did you know I like these places?” she asked.

  “I didn’t, to be honest, but I have always wanted to visit here when I have been before, just never had the right person to come with.” He smiled confidently. “Oh, you are shivering, are you warm enough? Here,” he said, catching sight of her arms. He shrugged off his jacket, and wrapped it round her shoulders. “Take my jacket.”

  “Thank you, and I love aquariums. This is so sweet of you,” she said plastering the best smile she could muster on her face and trying to shake the mood that had suddenly taken her. Bruce’s jacket was warm and soft around her shoulders and although she wasn’t cold, the gesture didn’t go unnoticed. As she glanced up at him, his eyes sparkled with some unreadable emotion.

  “We are here to feed the sea turtles. I thought it would be something different to do. And I have to admit, I’ve had this booked for a while because, even if father had come, I was still planning on helping you enjoy the downtime we had this week.”

  “Really? Sea turtles? Wow.” She expressed genuine surprise and her mood was soon forgotten. “This is going to be amazing it really is. Mr. Jenson, you are a bit of a dark horse, aren’t you? I’d have never guessed you’d be so sweet under that business like persona you normally wear. If I forget to tell you later, I am having a really good time today already.”

  Bruce grinned leaned in and surprising her again, he absentmindedly flicked a tendril of stray hair over her ear. “You are welcome, and for the record, so am I.” Just then, the door opened, making them both jump.

  “Mr. Jenson, Miss McKellan, I’m Dave, your personal tour guide for today. If you’d like to follow me this way, please.”

  The aquarium tour was informative and especially enjoyable after they had the opportunity to spend some astonishing time with the turtles. The whole day so far had exceeded any expectations that Emma had and she was just beginning to really enjoy the fact she was away from the mundane and empty life she left behind in New York. One thing that was a huge surprise to her was how much she had actually enjoyed being in Bruce’s company. Their rapport had become easier as the day progressed and she found herself smiling more that she had in a long time. She was beginning to feel totally safe in his company and her earlier apprehensions about him were dissolving by
the second.

  As they posed with the turtles for their souvenir photograph, she was grinning widely. In the space of a few short hours, he had made her feel more special than anyone had in a long time. She kept catching a brief smile here and there and she managed to steal a few glances at him when he wasn’t looking. He was infinitely more attractive than she had realized and she had to stop herself from falling for him.

  After collecting the photos, their walk back to the suite was filled with animated chat from both of them.

  “I cannot believe I’ve been up close and personal with such a graceful creature, Bruce. It was a truly magical moment when the big guy took the food straight from my hand,” she stated in awe as they sauntered down the main corridor towards the lobby.

  “I know. I have wanted to do that so much. Every time I’ve been here I have considered it but it’s the sort of experience you need to share with someone not do alone and it just wouldn’t have been the same with my father,” Bruce laughed.

  “No. I can’t see Arnauld enjoying that much, at all!” She smiled at the thought of the older man even being near the turtles

  “No, he wouldn’t. He was never good at that stuff when we were kids, either. Nor is he as nice to look at as you.” Emma blushed. Lines had started to blur and as she looked up at Bruce about to say something but he immediately broke the tension by chuckling, “And I still can’t believe you nearly pushed me into the tank with the sharks. Do you really hate me that much?” He pretended to be offended and clutched his hands across his chest. His eyes gave him away though as they shone with humor.

  “Bruce, I could never hate you!” she exclaimed in mock horror. “You have truly been a gentlemen all day. I just want to say that I am really grateful to you for today. I also want you to know how very appreciative I am for this opportunity here in Las Vegas.” Slowing as they reached the elevators that took them up the suite, she turned and looked up into his attentive blue eyes. “I need to say thank you for all you have ever done for me. You believed in me from day one and you do not know how much I appreciated you helping me so much with my career, too. You really don’t know how grateful I am that I met you all those years ago. Really, thank you for everything.” She said sincerely.