He walked to the doors and began to close them, but popped his head back in the room. “Dana?”
“Yeah?”
“I just want you to know…I don’t think you’re broken. I think you’re perfect.”
Goose pimples claimed every inch of her skin.
Alex slipped outside and shut the doors.
Alone in his bedroom, she did a slow turn and examined every corner of the room, avoiding his hulking bed. She could only ignore it for so long. Exhaustion forced her shoulders into a slump and those sheets looked so inviting.
Unable to resist, Dana undressed, leaving her panties on. She held up both of the t-shirts he’d set out for her, a plain white tee and a fitted black one. They both smelled fresh and clean.
She spotted the t-shirt he’d just discarded, hanging over the back of a chair. She reached for it instead and brought it to her nose.
Closing her eyes, she breathed in. It smelled like him, like his deodorant and traces of his cologne.
She put it on instead of the clean ones and brought the collar to her nose once again.
What am I getting myself into here?
“A bed,” she reminded herself. “Nothing more. He’s just offered you a place to crash. Get over yourself. This isn’t goddamn Romeo and Juliet.”
Dana got into bed and pulled the covers atop herself. Turning to his closet, she counted yet another armada of suits. “Grey, grey, blue, black, grey, grey. Ooh, a tuxedo. Grey, grey…”
Smiling to herself, comforted by his luxurious sheets and his nearby presence, her eyelids began to droop.
The memory of his voice lulled her into sleep.
I think you’re perfect.
***
“Aw, man.” Wade Kennedy groaned as his cousin told the cab driver where to go. “The Golden Nugget? Seriously, Benny?”
“What?” His cousin Benny shrugged. “It’s a Vegas institution. You promised to show me whatever I want when I visited.”
One day off this week, and Wade was stuck in another casino. God forbid Benny might want to check out the Hoover Dam or ride horses at a ranch. No, his cousin wanted the Golden Nugget.
At least Wade didn’t have to worry about escorting drunks out of this casino.
As the cabbie headed toward East Fremont Street, Wade stifled his next series of groans. Benny was right. He had promised, and it wasn’t often his cousin got to visit. If he wanted to waste his time, losing money he couldn’t afford on the slots, who was Wade to argue?
The cabbie dropped them off near Fremont and they walked the rest of the way. Sheesh. Even in the daytime, the Nugget managed to look bright and garish.
At least when he was working at Vice, Wade didn’t have to shield his eyes from all the gold fittings.
“Do you mind if I hit the casino?” asked Benny, already pulling out his wallet.
Before Wade could answer, Benny was across the lobby. “Be my guest.”
Benny got comfy at a slot machine. Wade stood next to him but was bored out of his skull within minutes. “Hey. I’m going to go look around.”
Benny, absorbed in his game, just waved him away.
“Try not to miss me.” Wade headed off, in search of a coffee shop. Something told him this was going to be a long day.
As he marched through the casino, it was hard for Wade to turn off his security instincts. Over to his left, he spotted a wobbling woman who’d already had too much to drink. Over to his right, he saw someone fall asleep at a slot machine.
