Page 5 of What Happens In Vegas
Bonni smiled and Fredi jumped in her seat. Ava gave Celia a quizzical look. ‘What exactly do you have in mind?’ she asked. ‘Don’t forget, you’re a mom and sworn off men.’
Celia flipped her the bird and had just opened her mouth to reply whenshe froze, her mouth dropped open at something she’d seen behind their group.
‘OMG, guys!’ Celia’s eyes were nearly popping out of her head.
Bonni saw what had caught Celia’s attention. Her gladiator waiter was approaching with her drink on his tray.Wait till the girls get a load of him, she thought, and waited to see their reactions.
‘Ladies.’ His deep voice had Ava and Fredi spinning intheir seats. Their jaws dropped in unison. Bonni smiled and bit back laughter. They’d just met their first gladiator. Promise kept! ‘Welcome to the Coliseum. We’re very happy you chose us for your Las Vegas vacation,’ he said to the women, as he bentdown to put Bonni’s drink on a coaster that resembled a Roman shield and flashed them a sexy grin. ‘Are you ready for some drinks?’ He stood back,his stance clearly practiced, muscled legs wide, powerful arms crossed, and tray tucked at his side.
Her friends stumbled over each other to speak and it came out as a big, sloppy mess. He smiled and dimples peeked in his cheeks. Bonni glanced at Celia. She thought she might have to reach over and push her mouth closed. She was fairly drooling. So much for not being interested in men.
Bonnireached for her Old-fashioned and sipped, watching the girls order their drinks while flirting outrageously with the waiter. When he turned and walked away they fell silent and did the exact same thing Bonni had: watch him with tongues lolling. Then they all looked at each other and gave a little squeal.
‘Holy cow, did you ever pick the right hotel, Bonni!’ Ava nodded with approval
Bonni shruggedher shoulders. ‘It was all about timing. The email arrived, I needed a break, and who else was I going to call? I can’t believe how long it’s been since we’ve all been close enough for a group hug! And yeah, I think we’ve got the right hotel.’
Celia sat on the edge of her chair and grabbed the promotional flyer on the table. ‘Time to plan what to do. We need to find out what’s going on, whatwe need to see, so we don’t miss a thing.’
Fredi rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, Mom. Remember: we’re not your kids. We don’t need you to plan our days on a fridge whiteboard and make sure we have snacks and nap time. We’re here to have fun. Take one day at a time and just go with the flow. And maybe live a little bit on the wild side.’
Celia looked at her with sad eyes. ‘Go with the flow. I don’t evenknow what that is anymore. My days are so tightly scheduled, I no longer recognize spontaneity.’
‘We’llget you back into the swing of things this weekend,’ Fredi promised, and reached forward to squeeze Celia’s hand.
Celia nodded and chewed her lower lip. ‘A man would be a nice diversion too,’ she whispered in a low voice.
‘You just said you weren’t interested. Make up your mind, girl! Whydon’t you just stick to your batteries and good lube for the time being?’ Fredi replied. ‘Do you really want to get hooked up with a man again?’
Celia glanced up; she was like an open book and plainly showed her emotion. ‘You know, I would. There has to be a good one out there. But –’ she paused and nodded before continuing – ‘I’m not likely to find him in Vegas. Everyone here just comes fora good time. You know, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” sort of thing.’
‘Okay, how about we chill on the desperately seeking a man situation and focus on the fact that we’re here together.’ Bonni decided she had to steer the conversation away from the male species; plus, she was hungry. ‘I think I’m going to order some food here to tide me over until later. I’m starved. Anyone else?’
‘Good idea,’ Ava said, ‘Some nourishment for the drinking marathon that doth approach.’
‘Oh, that’s right. Celia’s pool is still open. Want to get your bets in before she pukes, ladies?’ Fredi asked.
‘Okay, look.’ Celia gave her a sideways glance. ‘Can we at least get one drink under our belts first? Besides, it probably won’t take much to get me plastered these days. I haven’t tied one on inso long, I don’t have any tolerance left.’
‘You? No tolerance? Not sure I believe that,’ Fredi teased.
‘Don’t worry,’ Bonni assured her. ‘We’ll hold your hair back.’ The women laughed again, and Celia tossed the brochure at Bonni.
‘My inevitable drunkenness aside, we should see what showsare on while we’re here. What about that Cirque du SoleilO? It’s the one that’s supposed to be sexy, right?’Celia asked. ‘And I could use a bit of sexy right about now.’
‘OrThunder Down Under,’ Ava suggested. ‘Those guys look so hot and, if we’re lucky, we might get pulled up on stage for a lap dance or something.’ She clapped her hands excitedly.
‘I’m down for that.’ Fredi smiled and nodded.
‘Doesn’t matter to me,’ Bonni said. ‘Aside from placing fifty on Celia losing her lunch in an alleyway andthe quarter slots, I don’t plan to gamble much, but a show would be kickass. I voteThunder.’
Her friends all turned and stared at her, completely aghast at her confession.
‘Won’t gamble much?’ their voices chimed in unison.
‘We’re in Vegas, Bonni! It goes without saying. Youneedto gamble,’ Fredi nearly shouted.
Bonni furrowed her brows. ‘Why does it go without saying?’
‘We’re in Vegas,’Ava repeated. ‘You gotta gamble.’
Celia waggled her eyebrows, proclaiming loudly, ‘Yeah, and what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’
