Rocky Mountain Mayhem (14 page)

“Do you have any questions?” Cervantes
asked.

Nelson fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt
cuffs. “I’ve provided security a picture of Craig that they are
distributing to all staff.”

“Thank you both so much,” Vivian said,
getting up. “I really appreciate y’all coming up here from
Denver.”

Vivian shook their hands, then the agents
turned and walked out of the great room. The girls remained.

“My first experience with the FBI and I’m
tellin’ ya, my heart is going ninety to nothin’,” Wendy said. “And
I don’t think it’s because of the case.”

“He is officially hot.” Kate fanned herself.
“Do you think they’re more than FBI partners?”

A man wearing a starched white shirt, jeans
and a crisp brown apron appeared. “Ladies, can I get you
anything?”

“Do y’all serve pitchers of margaritas?”
Vivian asked as she sat down in the chair Nelson vacated.

“I’m sorry, we don’t. However, we do serve
individual margaritas.”

“Oh my god!” Lucy yelled.

“
What
?” the girls asked in unison.

“It’s
Cinco de Mayo
!”

“Holy shit,” Wendy said. “You scared me. I
thought you saw Craig or something.”

Vivian shook her head and told the perplexed
waiter, “Give us four, please.” After he walked off, she said,
“I’ll buy this round since it’s my ex-dumbass-boyfriend who’s
causing all this mess. I’m really sorry, y’all. We seriously could
have been killed.”

“It’s not your fault, Viv,” Lucy said,
putting her feet up on the large wooden table in front of them.
“You couldn’t have known he was going to turn into a
stalker-gone-wild.”

“I know, but still. I wonder if I missed any
signs.”

“Quit thinking that way,” Wendy said.

“Yeah, it’s not going to do any good,” Kate
added.

The server arrived with the margaritas.
“Anything else right now?” he asked.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a twelve-gauge,
would ya?” Wendy asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Just kiddin’,” she said with a grin.

She leaned forward and held up her margarita
in toast. “We’re smart. We’re resourceful. Who the hell needs a
gun?”

Clink!

AFTER a few sips, Kate pushed her margarita
away. “I can’t drink this. I feel sick.”

Vivian put hers down, too, and looked at
Kate. “Are you pregnant? Oh my god, you’re pregnant, aren’t
you?”

Kate hesitated. “Maybe. I am for sure not
feeling right.”

“We’ve got to get you a pregnancy test,”
Vivian said. “Instant gratification!”

Lucy and Wendy hopped off the couch,
margaritas in hand, and headed toward the gift shop to see if The
Ridge supplied pregnancy tests.

The waiter reappeared and looked at Kate’s
practically untouched drink. “Is something wrong with your
margarita?”

“No, I’m just not feeling very well. Can I
get some sparking water instead, please?”

“Of course.” He reached down to take away her
margarita, but Vivian stopped him.

“Hold your horses there. I’m sure that will
be consumed, no problem.”

He smiled and walked away.

Lucy and Wendy reappeared. “Negative on the
pregnancy test,” Wendy said. “However, we stopped by the front desk
and Trey said he could get one, but it would be a few hours.”

“The front-desk guy is getting me a pregnancy
test?” Kate asked.

“Yep! It’s his pleasure!” Lucy said.

The waiter brought Kate’s water and Vivian
paid the tab.

“Hey, preggers, you feel like you can handle
goin’ to the grotto?” Vivian asked.

“I might not be,” Kate said and took a sip of
water, “but yes, I can lounge around and throw a cold washcloth
over my face. Sounds perfect.”

Trey wasn’t at the front desk as they walked
by, but Kate blushed anyway. Once in the room, they got ready for
their initial grotto experience.

“Those margaritas were great,” Wendy said,
covering up her hot pink bikini with a plush, white Ridge robe.
“Let’s get another round in the grotto.”

“Uh, not no, but
hell
no,” Vivian
said, inspecting the contents of the cooler. “That round of
margaritas cost me 75 smackers.”

“Holy crap,” Wendy said. “You didn’t say
anything.”

“I said I’d pay, but I thought y’all should
know. I was going to load up the cooler but let’s just take a
bottle of wine.”

All wearing robes and cotton Ridge slippers,
the girls stepped on the elevator. Lucy carried the ice bucket with
a bottle of sauvignon blanc sticking out of it.

“We’re so classy,” Wendy said, holding up
three plastic cups.

Kate hit the B button. “You can take the girl
out of the Get Down, but…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vivian said and looked down at
her slippers. “These may accidentally end up in my suitcase.”

Lucy bent over a bit to look at hers. Her
rear stuck out, hitting the emergency call button. The girls jumped
as a shrill bell sounded.

A voice sounded over the PA system.

“What’s your emergency?”

No one could speak. They were laughing too
hard.

“What’s your emergency, please?”

“Lucy has a bubble butt!” Vivian yelled.

“Hey!”

Wendy composed herself. “Sorry, sir. Lucy
bent over and hit the button with her very muscular gluteus
maximus. Everything is fine.”

“Not a problem, Enjoy your stay.”

“I can’t believe you told him I have a big
butt!” Lucy butt-bumped Vivian.

“I didn’t say big, I called it
bubble-licious.”

The doors opened and Kate said, “We better
take it down a notch or they aren’t gonna let us in.”

Suri greeted them and asked if they’d like to
book a service during their stay. All services were 35 percent off
due to mud season.

“Score,” Vivian said, “What are my
options?”

Suri handed them a list — massages, facials,
seaweed wraps, manicures, pedicures, mud baths.

“I’d like to have a 60-minute massage
tomorrow, please,” Vivian said.

“Wonderful. I have 10 a.m. available with
Mindy or Stefan. Do you have a preference?”

“Oh, I’ll take Stefan. I like strong
hands.”

“Great. Please be here 20 minutes prior to
the appointment, and Stefan will meet you in the ladies
lounge.”

“Yay!”

Kate and Lucy also booked massages and Wendy
a facial for around the same time.

“Thank you, ladies,” Suri said. “Enjoy your
time in the spa today.”

“Thank you,” they chimed as Lucy pulled open
the door to happiness.

The girls had the coed grotto to themselves,
so each claimed a lounger by tossing her robe on it and kicking her
slippers underneath.

“Ahhh,” Vivian said, dipping down to her
shoulders. The green hue of the water brought out the green
sparkles in Vivian’s black, low-cut one-piece.

“You’re going to have to drag me out of
here,” Kate said, sitting on the edge, legs dangling in the warm
water, light from the sconces shimmering off her blue iridescent
bikini top. “This feels fantastic.”

Air filled Lucy’s black and silver tankini as
she floated over to Kate and the wine bucket. She popped the cork
and poured three plastic cups. Wendy got Kate a glass of
orange-infused water from the beverage station before stepping
in.

“
Gracias
,” Kate said.

“
De nada
and happy
Cinco de
Mayo
!” Wendy said.

“You mean happy
Drinko de Mayo
,”
Vivian laughed.

“
Aye ya yai ya yai
!” the girls
cheered.

“We should go out for Mexican food tonight,”
Wendy suggested. “I could use a giant, big-as-yo’-face
burrito.”

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Vivian said.

“Okay, but I’m warning you,” Lucy said,
shaking her head. “It’s not going to be the Tex-Mex y’all are used
to. There’s no Chuy’s here.”

“That’s all right, it’ll be fine,” Kate
said.

“Maybe they’ll have good drink specials,”
Wendy said. “Better than the $75 margaritas at The Ridge.”

They clinked their plastic cups together
again.

Lucy took a sip of wine and eyed the beverage
station. She got out of the water and came back with cucumber
slices for everyone.

“We can finally relax now and I think we need
a picture of us doing it. Kate, get your camera ready and girls,
prepare to relax!”

Lucy, Wendy and Vivian got into place,
cucumbers over their eyes while Kate hopped out of the hot tub and
got the camera situated just right on one of the loungers. She set
the timer, then splashed into the pool and swam up next to Lucy
just in time for the flash.*

The girls then grabbed their cups of wine and
had another toast. “To relaxing at The Ridge!” Vivian said and had
a sip of wine, then set her cup on the ledge.

She floated over to the waterfall that
cascaded from the rock wall and stood underneath. She tilted her
head back, letting the water splash over her.

“You know, with the right lack of attire
that’d make a naughty picture,” Kate smirked. “Should I get out my
camera?”

“Use ’em to reel in the next Mr. Right,” Lucy
said.

“Or Mr. Right Now,” Vivian said. “I’m
in!”

YOU are not going to take topless photos in
here, are you?” Wendy asked.

“Sure,” Vivian said. “Why not?”

Kate fished the camera out of her bag. “Lucy,
why don’t you stand by the men’s entrance and kinda block their
view if the door opens?”

“I’m on it, but I want mine taken, too. I
haven’t told y’all, but I went to a plastic surgeon a few weeks ago
and I’m getting a reduction.”

“I want one,” Vivian said, “or at least a
lift. Two for one. Two for one!”

They laughed.

“I need before-and-after shots. We’ll have to
come back to take the afters.”

“You got it,” Kate said.

Lucy stood guard at the men’s door and Wendy
at the ladies’ while Vivian untied the neck of her swimsuit and
lowered it to her waist. She posed under the waterfall. Kate
snapped away. The camera flash was blinding in the dim light, but
exhilarating.

“Why do I get the feeling this isn’t the
first time you’ve done this?” Wendy joked.

Vivian grinned and switched poses.

“Yes, give us a dramatic Playboy look,” Kate
said, laughing and clicking away.

She switched again.

“Damn, girl, you’re a natural!” Kate shifted
the camera and moved to one knee. Click. She stood back up and
stepped into the water to her knees. “This one’s pretty close. Work
it, sister!”

Vivian was cracking up, as were they all.
Their cackles echoed off the walls.

Vivian tried to quiet them. “Shhhhh,
someone’s going to come in.”

They couldn’t stop.

A few shots later, Vivian retied her top.
“This is probably the trashiest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Umm, hello,” Wendy said. “What do you
consider last night?”

“I don’t want to ever think about that. In
fact, if we never talk about it again, I’ll be very, very happy.
Now get your boobs in here.”

“Unh uh. No way. Not gonna happen,” Wendy
said, shaking her head.

“Come on, Wendy, I promise they will only be
seen by you,” Kate said. “Well, and us.”

“Jake might like it,” Lucy teased.

“Any man would like it,” Wendy said, “but I
don’t know. It is pretty trashy.”

“Live a little,” Vivian urged.

“Don’t be a wuss,” Lucy teased.

Wendy hung her head a little and sighed.
“Okay, fine. But only a few, and before I expose myself, you both
have to look down the halls and make sure no one is coming.”

“Okay,” Vivian said. “Now get naked!”

Wendy grabbed her wine and gulped it down.
“Liquid courage,” she said and stepped back into the hot tub.

Vivian and Lucy each peeked down the halls
and gave the all clear.

Wendy dipped down below the water and
unhooked her bikini top.

“Check again, just in case,” she said before
removing it.

They did.

“CLEAR,” Vivian yelled and took a sip of
wine.

“Clear,” Lucy said, giving a thumbs up.

Wendy flung her top toward Kate. “Make it
snappy!”

“Give me sexy,” Kate said and started
clicking.

Wendy kept her arms over her chest and
managed a tentative smile.

“Run your hands through your hair,” Kate
said. “Head back, close your eyes, arch your back. That’s it! Just
pretend you’re taking a shower.”

“I don’t do this in the shower,” Wendy said
but did as Kate instructed. “Especially in front of three
people.”

“Make love to the camera,” Vivian
squealed.

“Work it, baby,” Lucy said.

Wendy turned to the side and gazed over her
right shoulder, giving a sexy look. In that instant the men’s
locker room door flung open, shoving Lucy aside, and Agent Nelson
barged in.

Wendy gasped and stood frozen.

Nelson locked eyes with Wendy and stared.
After a few too many seconds, he turned and went back through the
door.

The girls really started to laugh, except for
Wendy, who looked horrified.

“Oh my god, you were supposed to be on guard,
Lucy,” Wendy said, lunging for her top floating in the water. “He
just saw my boobs!”

“I’m sorry, I was mesmerized by the sex you
were exuding! I’m impressed, by the way. I didn’t know you had that
in you!”

“I should have known better. Vivian called it
and someone did come in.”

“Technically, he just saw the side of your
boobs,” Vivian said.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Kate turned to Lucy. “Do you still want your
before? But we gotta make this quick. I have a feeling we’re about
to get busted. No pun intended.”

“And we need to find out what Agent Nelson
wanted,” Vivian said.