Page 12 of Billionaire In Vegas

“I hope you ladies enjoy your stay. And if you need anything, please feel free to contact me. I’m the concierge here. My name is Renee.”

“Thanks, Renee.”

She smiled brightly at all of us again and said, “No problem.”

We looked around for the guy who had our bags and Renee said, “They’re already in your room.”

“Oh, wow, now that’s impressive,” Misha said.

We made our way to the elevators and it promptly opened up. There was a man in uniform inside and I awkwardly stepped in.

“What floor ladies?”

“Umm....” I looked down at our keycard. “Twelve?”

He pushed the button and as the elevator made its way up I could practically feel the excitement in the air. We looked at each other and smiled. The elevator operator noticed and said, “Is this your first time staying at The Xerxes?”

We nodded.

“But you ladies have been to Vegas before, right?”

We all shook our heads and the elevator operator smiled widely, and said, “Tell Renee that. She’ll get you set up with the vacation of a lifetime.”

He began to tell us about all his favorite shows and sights and before we knew it, we were out of the elevator and heading in the direction of our suite and practically best friends with the elevator operator, Hank.

“See you around, Hank,” I called as we made our way.

“He sure was nice,” Misha said.

“Yeah, the customer service here has been above reproach,” Emmaline added.

We followed the signs that directed us to our room. The floor was padded with luxurious carpet, so thick that you couldn’t even hear our footsteps as we made our way towards our room. We easily found it and with bated breath and barely contained excitement, I held up the key card against the lock. There was a little click as I swiped the card, and as I pushed the door open, I gasped.

The room was gorgeous. As I walked in, I noticed that the suite had three separate doors, leading to what I guessed were three separate rooms. We excitedly bounced from room to room, arguing with each other about which room to pick. Not that it mattered, they were all decorated in the same manner: classic, yet modern with understated luxury.

“I can’t believe this setup,” Emmaline said pulling out her phone and taking a selfie in front of her room. She gestured to the rest of us. “Get in here. Get in close. My kid’s going to be soooo jealous.”

We did as we were told, making funny faces and laughing the entire time. We located our suitcases in the main living area with the gigantic TV and agreed to meet up downstairs for cocktails or happy hour at one of the restaurants.

As always, I was the first one ready. I was pretty no-nonsense and had changed into a serviceable wrap dress and low heels. I left Misha and Emmaline upstairs changing and decided to explore the hotel a little bit while I waited for them. I found Hank still on duty in the elevator and chatted with him a little more about his favorite places in Vegas until I reached the lobby. I was doing my best to memorize our conversation so that I would have something to share with Emmaline and Misha when they eventually came downstairs.

I looked around the lobby and realized I had quite a few choices in terms of entertainment. I didn’t want to seem like a loser sitting by myself doing nothing, so I headed to a restaurant that I’d noticed earlier on. It had seemed pretty laid-back in comparison to the other eateries around me.

The maître d’ smiled brightly at me, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, and I pretended that I didn’t notice that she didn’t seem too impressed with my choice of clothing. I wouldn’t have noticed if it weren’t for the small frown that marred her face when she saw my shoes, before she caught herself and her forced smile returned. I shrugged it off and raised my chin.

“How many this evening, ma’am?” she said with a slight British accent.

“I thought I’d just sit at the bar, if that’s okay.”

She seemed relieved. I guess there had to be at least one haughty employee, I thought to myself. I didn’t wait for her to say another word. I wanted to be the one who turned my back on her. I made my way to the bar not waiting for her “permission”, ignoring the other guests who were dressed as if they were attending the Oscars.

I slid onto a stool and ordered a drink, hoping the ladies wouldn’t mind that I started without them.

The bartender slid my drink in front of me. As I said thank you, I noticed someone slide onto the stool next to me. I automatically shifted over, giving the stranger more room than he or she needed, but I figured moving away from the person would dissuade him or her from making idle chitchat with me. I hated chitchat. I didn’t want to make eye contact and start a conversation, so I stared studiously down into my glass, hoping that Misha and Emmaline would text me soon.

I thought I heard female voices and looked up in the direction of the entrance. It wasn’t them. Disappointed, I turned back to my drink, accidentally glancing in the direction of the stranger. With a sinking feeling, it was then that I noticed the stranger looked familiar. And to my disgust, he sat staring at me with a smile on his face. Unfortunately, I knew that smile and I knew that face.

“Hi, princess,” said Jude with a stupid grin. It was actually a beautiful grin, but I didn’t want to admit it.