What Stays in Vegas (16 page)

“Is this a bad time?” he asked.  He was totally casual, as if it were the most normal thing in the world for him to be here right now.  He looked me up and down and I realized I must have been a little disheveled, as if I were just rolling around on the floor with a guy.

“Uh, no,” I said, zipping my sweatshirt practically up to my chin.  “I was just about to get ready for bed.  Come on in.”  I stepped aside and checked him out as he walked into my room.  Even after getting off a six hour flight, he still looked like an Abercrombie & Fitch model.  But that didn't matter right now.  Nothing mattered except for what the hell he was doing here, and why hadn't he at least called?

“I tried calling you last night,” he said, reading my mind.  “But you never picked up.” 

Oh yes, now I remembered.  Standing under the M with Chris, my phone ringing, and me shutting it off.  Things had melted into a pleasant haze after that point and I honestly hadn’t given Nick a second thought since.

“Oh, that’s right.  I was out with my boss.  I couldn't really hear my phone in the clubs.”  I glanced all over my room for evidence that Chris had just been there.  Not that it mattered, as I had every right to have a guy in my room.  Nick was the one who was married, not me. 

I followed him over to the couch where he dropped his bags on the floor and flopped himself down.  He put his feet up on the coffee table where Chris and I had just played Monopoly.

“Um, Nick,” I said.  “Really, you know I'm thrilled to see you, as always.  But can I just ask you something that’s been on my mind since you walked in here about thirty seconds ago?”

“Shoot.”

“Okay, well, don't take this the wrong way, but what the
hell
are you doing here?” 

“You don’t
seem
very thrilled to see me, Tessa,” he said, ignoring my question.  “I’m a little disappointed.”  He stretched his arms along the back of the couch and yawned. 

“No, of course I am."  I sat down on the couch next to him trying to ignore the tanned arm behind my head, the one that was threatening to tear right through his t-shirt.  And also, oh dear, that cologne.  Why did men have to keep coming into my room smelling so delicious?  “It's just that I don't really understand why you're here."

Nick pulled his cell phone out of his jeans and flipped it open.  He kept glancing up at me and smiling as he scrolled through something. 

"I had a dream last night that you and I - " Nick had started reading one of the text messages I sent him out loud.

"Oh God, please stop!"  I cut him off and pressed my face into my hands. 

Suddenly Nick's hand was on the back of my head, stroking my hair. 

"Hey, you asked," he said.

"Please, please, tell me that there's another reason," I begged, peeking up at him from behind my fingers.

Nick stared at me for a few seconds, and then I felt his hand fall from the back of my head.

"Alright, well, there is a tiny bit more to it.  I was getting ready to go home on Friday, when Marvin stopped by my office," said Nick.  Marvin was Marvin Frackman, Nick's boss.  "He was all fired up about this guy Jimmy Cannon who's in town.  He owns some grocery stores, but he's also started opening up strip clubs that compete with Dorfman's.  Loose Cannons they're called, ever heard of it?"

I shook my head. 

"Anyway, Marvin found out where Jimmy was having dinner, and he wanted me to tagalong to try to drum up some business."  Nick stood up and helped himself to a beer from my fridge, as if he'd lived here for months.  "I tried to tell him that I couldn't go, that Meg would kill me if I got home late one more time, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

"And so you went?" I asked.

"If I help get a new client, my status in this company will skyrocket.  I'd be kind of like...like you."  He smiled as he motioned to my rock star-like display of alcohol.

"Right," I said.  "Kendra just went a little overboard.  Trust me, my status hasn't gone anywhere."  I settled back into the pillows, relaxing a bit.  "But I thought you didn't want to become like those guys in upper management?" 

"Hey, money talks."  Nick shrugged.  "Although, more status means more stress.  And more fights with the wife."

"Speaking of whom," I looked expectantly at Nick, "where is the wife?"

"Well, Marv and I ended up stalking Jimmy all over Boston until eleven o'clock.  By the time I got home it was after midnight and Megan had already packed her bags and went to stay with her parents.  I didn’t know what to do.  She wouldn’t take any of my calls, then
you
wouldn’t take any of my calls.  I just needed to see you.”  He paused and sat down on the couch facing me.  For the second time in one day I felt as if a guy were about to confess his love.  

"I needed to find out if maybe I made a mistake," he said.

"What, what, kind of mistake?" I immediately tensed up again.

"I'm wondering if maybe I married the wrong girl."  He stared into my eyes as he spoke those words, and then he picked up my hand and held it against his cheek.  After all these years, everything I'd ever dreamed about was actually happening.  Yet here I was, ready to smother Nick with a pillow before I'd let it continue.  I jumped up and walked over to the window, anything to get out of his line of vision. 

“But you did marry Megan.  You love Megan.  And
this,
" I motioned back and forth to the two of us, "is not doing anything to help."  I suddenly got a very clear picture of Megan in my head. She had just found out where her husband had disappeared to and was at this very minute boarding a plane to Vegas in order to shoot me in the head.  It was time to panic.

“Shit, Nick, you need to get out of here!”  I grabbed him by the hands and tried to pull him up from the couch, but he weighed about a billion pounds and I couldn’t move him.  He just kept looking at me like I was nuts.

“I can’t go back
now,
” he said.  “It’s too late.”

“Planes fly all night long!  There’s probably ten of them just sitting there on the runway, they'd love to have you!"

“Don’t be silly, Tessa.  Just let me stay the night.  Megan couldn’t care less, she’s the one who left
me
, remember?”  I was still holding onto his hands and he pulled me forward so I was about three inches from his face.  

“What are you doing?” I asked in horror.

“What do you think?” He stood up and put his arms around my waist.  “I've been going crazy thinking about all those texts, haven't you?” 

He leaned in and kissed me, and suddenly any thoughts I had of Megan coming to murder me just faded into the background.  As did, and I'm ashamed to admit it, any thoughts I was having about Chris.  Because Nick,
my
Nick, was kissing me at last.  Okay so we hadn't just spent the day bonding over a game of Monopoly, and maybe Nick hadn't come to my rescue when I'd needed him most.  But for that moment, all I knew was that I was making out with the love of my life.  The love of my life, who also happened to be my closest friend in the world.  Well, at least until I had met...until I had met....what the heck was his name?  Chris.  Yes, Chris.  I tried to focus, really I did.  But this was Nick for Christ sake.  My mind had left the rest of my body to its own devices several minutes ago.  Nick sat back down on the couch and pulled me onto his lap, when suddenly it hit me.

“You don't just taste like beer," I said, pulling away.

"I had a few cocktails on the plane," said Nick.  He shrugged and pulled me back towards him.

“Oh God, no!"  My stomach turned at the thought of hard liquor.  I scrambled off of his lap and ran for the bathroom. 

“Good to see you too!” yelled Nick as I slammed the door and threw up for the third time in one day.

- 18 -

On Monday morning Kendra was in full boss mode.  I had a feeling that she was still angry with me after our argument in the museum because she had a whole list of tasks prepared, none of which involved my being around the office.  It was just as well.  I was a little concerned that Nick might show up at the office with a bouquet of roses or something, and I was not exactly planning to tell Chris about my new roommate. 

Nick had slept on the couch and I had used my hangover as an excuse to avoid any further make-out sessions.  Once I was in bed and able to think clearly again, that's when the guilt really took over, and it was coming at me from all sides.  Chris sent me a few texts about how much fun he'd had with me that day, and I replied from underneath the blankets as if I needed to hide what I was doing from Nick.  I told Chris that I felt the same way.  And it was true.  Everything I said to him was true, with the one minor omission that I had just made out with another guy who, by the way, was also sleeping in my living room. 

Who on
Earth was I turning into?  This needed to stop.  I just needed to figure out the right way to tell Nick that my flirting had been a mistake.  Once I got that out of the way, and Nick went home to Megan, I could finally be with Chris guilt-free.  I mean, how long could Nick possibly stay in Vegas anyway?  Flamhauser-Geist isn't exactly generous with their vacation time.

I grabbed Kendra's list of tasks and headed outside to my BMW.  I still gasp a little bit every time I get into the car, and then I usually take a few minutes to admire my tanned self in the rear view mirror.  Yes, I know, it’s materialistic and superficial, but for the time being this life and all its ridiculous accessories are
mine,
and I have a right to enjoy them.  I turned up the radio and leaned my head back, soaking up the sun before starting the engine. 
If you’re mad at me, Kendra, you could’ve come up with a much worse punishment than sending me out of the office.
 

I peeled out of the parking lot and headed toward my first stop which was to pickup Kendra’s dry cleaning.  You can’t get much more stereotypically administrative assistant than picking up dry cleaning.  I didn't really mind though because the dry cleaner was right next door to my favorite coffee shop, and I stopped in for a cappuccino.  I took a seat on the patio rather than returning to my car.  It was only 9:00 a.m. and Kendra's list wasn't all that long anyway.

As I sipped my coffee, my thoughts drifted to Kara who I had only spoken to twice on the phone since coming to Vegas.  I felt a pang of guilt as I thought of all the time I had been spending with Kendra.  I took out my cell phone to give her a call, and also give her a reason to leave the office for a few minutes.  She would probably go out on the back steps that overlooked the parking lot where her car was parked between two empty spaces - one for my car, and one for Nick’s.  She was probably lonely.  Neither one of us has many other girlfriends.  Suddenly I couldn’t dial the numbers fast enough.  It rang six times before the familiar voice picked up.

“Good morning, Flamhauser-Geist, this is Kara."

“Okay, first of all,” I said, “I am a horrible, horrible friend because I just realized how few times I’ve talked to you since I came out here.  So feel free to trash my cubicle.” 

“Already trashed it last night,” she said.  “You’re not a horrible friend though, you’re just busy.  I actually stopped calling you since that time your psycho boss grabbed the phone and started screaming Love Shack at me, remember?”

I laughed.  Kendra and I had been at a karaoke bar when she got her paws on my cell.  “Sorry about that, she’s got a few issues to work out.”

“I would start with singing lessons,” said Kara.  “Then maybe move on to rehab.  Hey let me go outside before I get busted for taking personal calls at my desk.  Hang on.”  I mentally followed her through the office, past each desk, and out the back door.  Just as my imaginary Kara arrived on the back steps, the real one came back on the line.

“Okay, I’m out. So what’s up?”

“Well, for starters, Nick’s not in today is he?”  I figured if she had known he was coming to Vegas she would have at least put in a courtesy call to fill me in.  At least I hoped she would have.

“Uh, no, he’s not.  How’d you know that?”

“Because he’s asleep in my hotel room.”  There was silence on the other end.  Then I heard what sounded like muffled swear words.  “Are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here," said Kara.  "Shit, Tessa, I’m sorry.  I would've told you sooner, but I never thought he’d do anything this drastic.”

“Told me what?  What did he say?  I need to know, Kara.  I did something I shouldn't have and now things are getting out of hand."

“Um, he kind of told me on Friday that he thinks he’s in love with you,” said Kara. 

“What?!” 

“He said he never realized it while you were here, but now that you’re away he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

“Oh God, what have I done?” I drummed my fingers on the table.

“He also said something about how he never thought you had feelings for him until a couple of weeks ago?  Something to do with text messages.  I don’t know Tessa, we were out at a bar and it was loud and stuff.  I couldn't really get all the details.

"That's okay," I said.  "I know what he's referring - "

I suddenly stopped tapping my fingers.  A pigeon on the opposite end of my table looked up at me expectantly, mid-peck.  "Wait, when were you out at a bar with Nick?"