Page 5 of Vegas Duology

ChapterTwo

I hadthe pool to myself.Dropping my towel and wrap on a chaise, I dove head first into the glassy water.I must be the only person who liked to swim laps at seven in the morning in Vegas.When I broke the surface, I transitioned easily into smooth, effortless strokes and headed for the opposite end.When Nicole brought up the idea of coming to Vegas to celebrate her birthday, she was smart enough to suggest we stay at the MGM Grand, where there are five pools.She knew if she eliminated most of my objections, including my need for a morning swim, I wouldn't have much of a reason to say no.

I reached the other end, tucked into a smooth flip turn pushing off the slick blue tiles, and started back to the other side.

A sigh escaped me as a bubble after my second lap.It always took me a few minutes to warm up, for my muscles to relax and loosen as memory took over and my body fell in line with the exercise.I'd been swimming so long that if I missed a day, my body seemed to crave the fluidity of the water, the lengthening of each muscle as I strove for an ever-changing goal.

As I reached the wall on my fourth lap, a shadow fell over the water startling me into stopping.I popped my head out of the pool, grabbed the slippery tiles and peered up into the already intense desert sun.

"I found you,” the shadowy figure said.

I shivered involuntarily at the voice and shaded my eyes, trying to bring him into focus.

"Sorry,” he said as he squatted, blocking the sun so I could see him.“Is that better?”

"Yes.Thanks, Leo.”I smiled at him.

"You remember me, then?”

"Why wouldn't I?”I tugged my goggles onto my head.

"Well, this is Vegas, and I’m sure a beautiful woman like you meets lots of guys in one night.I wasn't sure if I made the cut of being important enough to remember.”

I blushed at his compliment, before laughing at the absurdity of his statement.It was Nicole who met men; I was just along for the ride.

"What's so funny?”

"Nothing,” I said, and swallowed hard.“So, why did you say you were looking for me?”

"I didn't.”He grinned.

I shot him a look and started to pull my goggles back into place.

"No, wait."The smile fell from his face, and he looked genuine enough that I paused."I was looking for you," he said."I wanted to give you these."He pulled two tickets from his back pocket and held them out to me.

"What're those?"

"I told you I'd get you and...your friend..."

"Nicole," I supplied for him and couldn't help being just a little bit pleased that he remembered only my name.

"Right, Nicole.I told you I'd get some club tickets for tonight."

"Oh, those.Thanks.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you don’t really mean that?”He smiled and tilted his head.

He was flirting with me again.At least I thought he was.

“I do mean it,” I said, trying my best to sound genuine.Nicole once told me that I was too standoffish, and came off like a bitch sometimes.Normally I didn’t care.But with Leo crouching on the deck in front of me, I found that I did care.A lot.

"You may not sound very excited,” Leo said, “but Studio 54 is a great club.One of the best in Vegas.It's over 22,000 square feet, it has four dance floors, and...you don't look impressed."

I shrugged."I’m sorry.I really am.I don’t mean to sound unappreciative, but I'm not the nightclub type.”

“So why is it that you want to go?”

“Well, I’m not the nightclub type, but Nicole is and it's her birthday so I'll put on my best friend hat and go dancing with her."