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It was a little crazy to me, that in just a decade things had somehow gotten so backwards. That the semi-cute guy who’d taken me out twice had only kissed me after I’d kissed him first. And even then, he’d seemed extremely deer-in-headlights about it.
Call me traditional, but I liked a guy with a little more decisiveness. A guy who made the moves. A guy who could take my hand and take charge. Someone who—
My phone buzzed against my thigh, and I stopped in my tracks. It was barely six o’clock.
Maybe it’s them.
A shockwave of fear rippled through me. My stomach flip-flopped.
Maybe they’re calling to cancel plans…
I was gripped by a whole host of conflicting emotions. Dread laced with excitement. Overwhelming relief… followed by grave disappointment.
Slowly I pulled the phone from my pocket. My whole body relaxed as I saw the name on the screen… and swiped to answer it with a big, broad grin.
Four
LAUREN
“What’s up you sexy bitch?”
I laughed as my friend greeted me with our usual exchange. I hadn’t even said hello yet.
“Getting along okay?” Bella asked. “Is Vegas still standing?”
“Fortunately yes,” I said, glancing around. The strip loomed on both sides of me, lighting up more with each passing minute. “Looks intact so far.”
“Damn, I figured you’d have brought some of the walls down by now,” laughed Bella. “What, with you being on your own and everything. No more lame duck, dead weight bullshit like the others were pulling on us.”
I smiled as I continued walking, the warmth of the waning sun on my back. I missed her already.
“Now at least you?
??re free,” she went on. “You can cut loose for the last few days of the trip, without anyone stopping you. Do whatever the hell you want.”
The phrase was definitely appealing. Especially considering the current circumstances.
“Yeah…” I answered finally. “But without you, though.”
“And I’m very sorry about that,” she answered, her tone going genuine. “But turns out the little fucklets here at the office really did have a legit emergency.”
“Fucklets?”
“Yeah, that’s right. When someone crashes the Unix system and nobody can even VPN me into the server so I can do a cold reboot? I consider them fucklets. Especially when they drag me away from a kickass, well-deserved vacation.”
I chuckled again. “So I guess the emergency was you weren’t there to hold their dicks for them.”
“Exactly,” my friend laughed. “Half of them couldn’t find their own ass if it were stapled to their forehead.”
“Have you tried that?”
She paused for one funny second. “No, but I probably should.” I heard her let out a long sigh. “Anyway, I’m just as pissed as you are. Imagine if it were just the two of us down there, tearing up that town.”
“Or getting torn up,” I countered.
In my mind’s eye, I could see my friend’s inevitable smile. “Either way sounds fun to me.”
I walked on a little more, toward the end of the strip. Very soon I’d grab a cab and head back to my hotel.
