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“Do you and your angel need anything else, West?” Sarcasm laces every single one of her words.
“Not at the moment, Sara, but I’ll let you know if that changes.”
I glance at the two glasses as she walks away before I turn my attention back to him. “I’m not drinking either of those and for the record, I’m going to Vegas to celebrate with my friends. There’s no lucky bastard waiting for me there.”
His lips curve up in an almost smile. “You’re wrong about that. There will be a lucky bastard waiting for you tonight at the Echo Resort and Casino. It’s on the strip.”
My gaze darts over his face. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m staying there.” He downs the vodka in my glass in one swallow. “I’ll be in room 2626. When you’re done with your day of celebration, join me for a night of sin.”
I laugh. “I’m not that type of woman…I mean, I don’t and I can’t.”
What I really mean is that I’ve never spent a night with a man I don’t know, but I’m not about to confess that to a complete stranger.
He looks down at where my hands are laced together in my lap. “I don’t see a ring. Are you married? Engaged? In a relationship?”
“No, no and no,” I spit back before I pick up the glass of orange juice and drink it all. I wish to hell I had gotten my hands on the vodka before he did. “Are you in a relationship?”
“If I were in a relationship, I wouldn’t have invited you to my room.” He tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “You know what they say about Vegas.”
“That what happens there stays there?” I don’t move back from his touch even though my common sense is screaming at me to turn around and stop talking to him.
“You can live out every fantasy you have there, and no one will be the wiser.” The pad of his thumb brushes my bottom lip. “You’ll go on with your life tomorrow. I’ll go on with mine and you’ll have a Vegas memory you’ll never forget.”
They aren’t just sweet words meant to tempt me. There’s a promise there too. I see it in the way he’s looking at me.
“Miss?” Sara, the flight attendant, is standing at my side, her fingers strumming over my shoulder. “Your friends have persuaded the man sitting across the aisle from them to switch seats with you. Normally, I wouldn’t be so accommodating, but I’m willing to make an exception this one time.”
Dammit.
I unbuckle my seatbelt. Two hours ago I wanted desperately to sit closer to my friends. Now, I’d be happy staying in place until the plane lands.
“It was a pleasure.” West lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it softly. “I’ll see you tonight, angel.”
I stand, smiling softly. It’s not a question. It’s an assumption. As tempting as his invitation is, I doubt I’ll ever see this man again. He doesn’t realize it, but he’s already given me a memory that I’ll cherish for a lifetime.
Chapter 2
Linny
“Can we change before we go to dinner?” I glance down at the wrinkled tank top and the tulle skirt that now has a tattered hem. I don’t have to look in a mirror to know that I resemble a wreck. The plastic tiara on my head isn’t doing my appearance any favors.
The only consolation is that we’re in a casino and since this is Vegas, we haven’t gotten more than a half dozen second glances. Most people have passed us by without even looking in our direction.
Kendra Baldwin, the soon-to-be-bride, shakes her head vehemently as she scans a row of blackjack tables. “You can’t possibly know how much it means to me that my three best friends went to all this trouble. Besides, I’m the one who looks the most ridiculous out of all of us.”
I quickly glance at my fellow bridesmaids, Harmony Curry and Priscilla Mata. They’re dressed in outfits that match my own. The only difference between the three of us is Harmony’s shirt. She’s bunched the front of it into a knot just below her breasts so she can show off her toned stomach.
Kendra looks like a dream in a short white lace dress. There’s a pink sash draped over her shoulder with the words The Bride written in red lettering. That’s courtesy of Priscilla. She had it tucked in her suitcase.
The tiara propped atop Kendra’s long red locks is semi-real. It was a gift from a long lost relative of hers that descended from royalty. It’s crafted from silver and a handful of small diamonds that are lost among the dozens of round cubic zirconia stones that sparkle in any available light.
Harmony insisted that Kendra bring the tiara to Las Vegas. She told her that she wanted to get a closer look at it after seeing it in the engagement picture. It was all part of our plan to surprise her. Harmony demanded that Kendra wear it as soon as we got to our hotel earlier. It hasn’t left her head since.
“You look like triplets.” Kendra takes a sip of the margarita in her hand. Priscilla ordered it an hour ago. It’s in a plastic souvenir cup that’s shaped like the Eiffel Tower in honor of Kendra’s honeymoon destination. She’ll be jetting off to Paris the day after the wedding for a weeklong adventure in the City of Lights.
Harmony steals a quick glance at Priscilla and me. “We’re all brunettes. We’re all wearing the same outfit. That’s where the similarities end.”
