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Henn runs a hand over his face, looking distraught. “I’ve got to go, man. I’ll say a quick goodbye to Alonso. Do me a favor and say my goodbyes to everyone else.”
“You bet.”
We head over to Alonso. Henn says, “Hey, man, I’m sorry, but my baby has a fever and I need to go home.”
“The last flight to LA has already left,” Alonso says. “Why don’t you go back first thing in the morning?”
Without hesitation, as Henn and Alonso continue talking, I grab my phone and start making arrangements.
“I’m gonna rent a car and drive,” Henn says. “This time of night should be smooth sailing. I’ll make it home in four and a half hours. Perfect timing for my wife to crash and for me to take over for her with Hazel.”
Henn turns to me, clearly intending to hug me goodbye. But I put up an index finger, asking him to hold on for a second. Quickly, I finalize what I’m doing on my phone, and then look up.
“No rental car required,” I say. “I just booked you a car and driver, so you can sleep on the way home. It’ll be at the front of the club in exactly fifteen minutes.”
“Oh my God, Reed. It didn’t even occur to me to do that! I’ll pay you back.”
“Don’t be stupid. Go get your suitcase from upstairs and meet me out front. I’ll wait outside for the car, in case it gets here before you’re out front.”
“You’re the best. Thanks, brother.”
With that, Henn heads toward the front exit of the club, looking like a man on a mission.
Alonso shakes his head as he watches Henn’s departing frame. “What the fuck has happened to all of us? Faraday couldn’t come to Vegas because his wife is in her third trimester and he won’t leave her, even for one night. Henn is running off to hold his sick baby, even though his wife is already there. Cory stayed home because his wife’s sister is about to have twins. Jake is standing over there, showing everyone a video of his baby’s first fucking steps. And you just now turned down a smoking hot actress with the most perfect tits I’ve ever seen because you have a girlfriend waiting for you at home? Seriously now, am I the only one whose balls are still attached to his body?”
“Fuck you,” I mutter. “You were always trash in college, and now you’ve grown up to be a Peter Pan asshole motherfucker. I never liked you, Alonso. Not even in college. Not even when I was high on blow. So, why am I here? Why am I hosting this birthday party for you?”
Alonso laughs heartily, apparently thinking I’m joking. But I’m not. Why am I wasting my precious time on this planet doing anything I don’t want to do? More to the point, why am I doing anything that takes me away from Georgina?
“I’m going outside to wait for Henn’s limo,” I toss out, and then stride toward the front door without waiting for Alonso’s reply.
Outside in the warm Las Vegas night, I bum a cigarette off the security guy out front, even though I don’t smoke. Just as I’m stubbing the cigarette out, Henn’s limo comes. Two minutes after that, Henn appears with his suitcase, looking frayed. I give my sweet best friend a bear hug and tell him to keep me posted. And then, I send Henn off into the night, on his white horse.
Deciding I’d rather have FaceTime sex with Georgina in my room than return to the excruciating birthday party, I begin crossing the street toward my hotel. But just as I’m heading into the lobby, my phone buzzes with a text from CeeCee that stops me dead in my tracks.
CeeCee: I saw on Instagram you’re in Vegas. Francois and I are here, too, for his friend’s birthday dinner tomorrow night. Let me know if you have time for a drink.
Me: I have time right now, as a matter of fact.
CeeCee: Perfect timing! We just got back to our room. Bellagio. Penthouse 8. See you soon, darling!
Chapter 28
Reed
Not surprisingly, given that CeeCee’s husband is a multi-billionaire, CeeCee’s penthouse at the Bellagio is the biggest, most luxurious hotel suite I’ve ever beheld. Which is saying a lot, considering how much I like to treat myself to the finer things in life.
At first, CeeCee, Francois, and I chat as a threesome while gazing at the neon view of The Strip below. But, after a while, Francois heads downstairs to meet some friends in the casino, leaving CeeCee and me to booze it up as a dynamic duo.
“Okay, darling,” CeeCee says when her husband is gone. “Tell me what’s going on with you. You’re not yourself tonight.”
“Yeah, I’ve got some blood in my boozestream.”
She laughs. “No, I’ve seen you drunk, plenty of times. There’s something bothering you. What’s wrong?”
