Heat Waves (9 page)

“Thanks,” Tina shouted, with a smile.

He nodded and waved.

The three girls laughed as they finished
drinking.

“Do you want to go to the spa with us,
Rachel?” Tina asked. “We are going to get massages, and enjoy the
hot tub and sauna.”

“I would rather just stay at the pool. You
know I don't want a stranger rubbing me,” Rachel said. “I will meet
you back at the room. If I'm not there, text me, and I will let you
know where to find me.”

“Are you sure?” Jen asked. “We don't want to
leave you alone at your own divorce party.”

“I am fine right here. I'm having a great
time,” Rachel replied.

Tina and Jen wrapped their towels around them
and grabbed their things. They laughed, saying, “see ya later,” to
Rachel, and were on their way. Rachel was actually happy to have
some time to herself. She loved her friends, but relaxing in the
pool alone sounded really good.

Rachel got into the pool and sat down on the
ledge at the side. She leaned back and put her head down on the
cement. It was such a beautiful summer day. It felt so nice to have
the warmth of the sun on her skin. A few minutes later, she felt
the water move against her. She opened her eyes just a little, and
saw the man that had been sitting with the laptop walking toward
her in the water. She hurried to close her eyes, before he saw her
looking over at him. Damn, he was hotter than she’d thought. She
had gotten a quick look at his shirtless chest. Rachel felt a smile
form on her lips, as she thought about him. Was he really looking
at her earlier?

“What are you smiling about?” the man asked,
as he got closer to her.

She sat up, opened her eyes, and looked at
him.

“What?” she asked, as she pretended not to
know what he was talking about.

“Where did your friends go?” he asked.

“They went to check out the spa and get
massages,” she replied, as she checked out his sexy build.

She could not believe how good the guy
looked. He had looked cute sitting on the chair, but was a whole
different level of cuteness standing next to her without a shirt
on. He had sandy brown hair, gorgeous blue eyes, muscular shoulders
and arms, and a chiselled chest. She had to stop the drool from
slipping from the side of her mouth. He was gorgeous.

“I'm Cliff,” he said, with a smile.

“My name is Rachel Reynolds. Thanks for the
drinks,” she replied, with a smile.

Rachel was feeling a little tipsy already.
Not being a big drinker, and the heat beating down on her skin, had
not helped. She was feeling very comfortable talking to Mr.
Hottie.

“What brings you to Vegas? Is it a
bachelorette party, girl's weekend, or are your men off doing
something else?” he asked.

Rachel laughed.

“More like a divorce party,” she replied.
“What about you? Are you here with your wife, girlfriend, or just
the guys?”

“Business trip,” he said. “I leave tomorrow.
How long are you here for?”

“We got here this morning, and we leave late
tomorrow night,” she replied.

“What does your man think of you being here
for a divorce party?” Cliff asked.

Rachel snickered. Was he trying to see if she
had a man? How cute, she thought.

“I don't think he would really care,” she
said. “He got everything in the divorce. I think he's pretty
happy.”

“This is your divorce party, then?” he asked.
“I'm sorry about that.”

“Don't be,” she replied, as she laughed.
“You're not the one who slept with his secretary. I'm fine. It was
over a year ago. My life is a million times better now.”

“He is the one missing out. Have you ever
been to Vegas before?” he asked.

“No,” she answered. “It looks like so much
fun. This is the first thing we have done. I am looking forward to
checking out some casinos. I am definitely going to come back again
one day.”

“You are only here for one day?” he said.
“What are your plans for the night?”

“We are not sure yet,” Rachel said. “They
will be at the spa for hours. We will probably just check out a
couple of casinos, have dinner, and go to a club. My friends have
been here several times together. They think a crazy, drunken night
is what I need to kick off my single life.”

“You don't sound very excited about that,” he
said.

“The whole party scene is not really for me,”
she replied. “I would rather look around Vegas or do something less
crazy.”

“Why don't you spend the evening with me?” he
asked. “I would love to take you to dinner. We can go see a show,
too, if you would like. I think Elton John is across the street at
Caesar’s Palace. What do you think?”

“I'm not sure,” she said, as she looked at
him.

“You seem like a nice person,” Cliff said. “I
will be a perfect gentleman. I promise.”

He gave her a puppy dog look, and she
laughed.

“Okay. This is Vegas. It will be nice to have
an evening out,” she said.

“Who knows,” he said, as he laughed. “Maybe
it will even be fun.”

They stayed in the pool for a while longer
and talked. She could not help looking over his amazing body. He
told her he was going to go back to his room, to finish his work,
and get ready. He would pick her up at her room at four o'clock.
Cliff went back to where his chair was to get dressed. Rachel could
not help but watch his gorgeous ass as he walked across the pool
area. He grabbed his stuff, said something to the bartender, and
waved as he exited the area.

Rachel was excited for her evening with
Cliff. She had not dated anyone since she had left her husband.
She’d wanted to stay completely unattached until her court
appearances were over. There was no way she was going to give Jake,
her ex, anything bad to say about her. The divorce had just
finalized a few days before the trip. Just as Rachel was going to
get out of the pool, the bartender brought her a drink.

“Your guy friend ordered this for you,” he
said.

“Thank you,” she replied as she accepted the
drink.

She took it back to her chair, sat back, and
relaxed while she sipped on the drink her new friend had bought
her. She was hoping her friends would not be mad at her for making
plans. After a good, long soak in the sun, Rachel threw some
clothes over her bikini, and went back to her room to get
ready.

Rachel took a shower, did her hair and
makeup, and put on a very pretty pink summer dress. She had not
planned to go anywhere nice, so she was glad Tina had talked her
into bringing the dress with her.

Her two friends walked through the hotel room
door, laughing and giggling. They stopped as soon as they saw her
looking so cute.

“Where are you going?” Tina asked.

“Remember Mr. Hottie at the pool?” she asked,
as they nodded their heads. “He is taking me out for dinner.”

“No way,” Jen said. “That is so great. You
didn't even need us here to have a good time.”

“He came over to me after you two left, and
we talked for over an hour. He seems really nice. We are going to
dinner and a show.”

“So you are dumping us for some guy?” Tina
asked, pretending to be mad. “Have a great time. We want all the
dirt in the morning.”

“I am so glad you are not mad. He was really
sweet. It's not going to be like that,” Rachel said. “You know I'm
not sleeping with him. You are so bad.”

There was a knock at the door, and Tina ran
to get it. Rachel pushed her aside, opened the door, slid out, and
closed it behind her.

“What was that about?” Cliff asked, with a
smile.

“You don't need to talk to my friends. They
are something else. I am sure they would say something to embarrass
me,” she said, as she looked him over. “You look really nice.”

Her eyes widened, and she could feel her
mouth go dry. She was so nervous. He looked perfect. He had on a
white dress shirt, colorful tie, and perfect fitting black suit.
She was shocked at how different he looked dressed up. His body
looked so good, even covered by the suit jacket. She wanted to rub
her hands down his strong chest. That was not like her at all.

“You look beautiful,” he said. “The show
starts at eight. I made reservations at a steak house in the Paris
Hotel, if that's okay.”

“That sounds wonderful,” she said.

He took her hand in his and they started down
the hall.

The steak place was very nice. She had never
eaten anywhere that nice before. Her ex did not like to go out very
often. As she looked at the menu, she noticed the prices were
really high. She did not want to take advantage of the situation,
and he must have sensed her nervousness.

“It's Vegas. You are here to have fun, right?
Order anything you want,” he said.

They talked while they ate their steaks,
which were melt in your mouth perfect. Their desserts arrived. They
looked so good, and were decorated so nicely. The plates were so
perfect. She didn't want to eat it. He laughed at her, took his
fork, scooped a bite from her plate, and ate it. That way, she
wouldn't feel so bad about eating it herself, she thought. He was
so sweet. He took her fork and scooped up a bite of his. Then he
put the fork up to her mouth. She put her hand over his and took
the fork from him. She shivered at the heat in his touch.

“What do you do for work?” she asked, as she
hoped to shake the feeling from his touch.

“I work in corporate law,” he answered.

She looked at him and knew her expression had
changed.

“You're a lawyer?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “Don't hold that against
me. It seems like you are not a fan.”

“My ex is a lawyer,” she said.

“We don't all sleep with our secretaries,” he
said, as he reached over and rubbed her hand. “I'm a good guy. I
just happen to like law.”

She laughed.

“I'm sorry about that,” she said. “I know I
can't judge everyone by one person's actions.”

He changed the subject onto something
else.

They walked over to Caesar’s Palace after
dinner. He kept his hand on her lower back the whole time. She
loved how attentive he was. He made her feel special. There were
beautiful women all around them, and he made her feel as if she
were the only one there. It really was turning out to be a nice
evening.

They played some slots while they waited for
the show. She tried to use her own money, but he wouldn't let her.
He stood next to her and watched her while she played. She motioned
for him to hit the buttons as well. They laughed and joked while
they decided how much to play each time. She stayed at the lower
denomination machines. He told her they could play the other ones,
but she was more comfortable on the cheaper ones. They were
laughing and joking with each other. She was having an amazing time
with him. They both reached up to tap the button at the same time,
and she felt a surge of electricity run through her arm. He jerked
his hand back, and she wondered if he had felt it too.

They made their way into the theater. He
bought them each something to drink, and they found their seats.
She was so excited to be able to see the whole stage. So much
excitement went through her as Elton John took the stage. She was a
huge fan. Without even thinking, she leaned over and kissed Cliff
on the cheek.

“Thank you so much,” she whispered. “This is
amazing.”

He reached over and took her hand in his. She
loved the way she felt safe and warm, just from having her hand in
his. Her whole body tingled from his touch.
It must be all the
wine
, she thought. They both sang quietly and looked over at
each other. It was perfect. She had never had so much fun with a
man. He made her feel so good. They looked into each other’s eyes,
and he leaned in to kiss her. His lips were warm and moist. He slid
his tongue across her bottom lip and she shivered. She parted her
lips as he slid his tongue between them to find hers. There was so
much heat in that kiss. She pulled back, surprised at the feeling
she got just from kissing him. He laughed and squeezed her hand.
She put her head on his shoulder. They turned back to watch Elton
John. More than once she felt tears run from her eyes. The concert
was amazing. She could not have imagined a more perfect time in
Vegas.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his ear. “I
don't know if I will ever have another night this perfect when I
come back to Vegas.”

When the concert was over, they played some
more slots together. Rachel was surprised by how sweet Cliff
seemed. He was concerned with her feelings, and made sure that she
had fun. On the way back to their hotel, they stopped and got
dessert, and talked at the Paris Hotel. She learned that he did not
have any children and had been married when he was younger, but
only for a short time. He told her that he had a younger sister,
who worked as a secretary where he was a lawyer. His family was
very close. They also learned that they only lived an hour apart.
He seemed genuinely happy about it. She was excited. He asked her
if they could switch phone numbers, so that he could call her when
they got back home. They programmed each other’s numbers into their
phones. She found out that Cliff was only five years older than
her. He seemed so wonderful.

When they got back to their hotel, he asked
her if she wanted to come up to his room for wine and to watch a
movie. Rachel did not want the evening to end, and agreed. When she
walked into his room, she was surprised. It was larger than hers,
and much nicer. She walked to the window and looked out. The
fountains across the street were dancing, and she could hear the
music.

“This is an awesome view,” she said.

“The fountains are pretty cool. The songs
change each time it plays,” he replied.

“I like your room,” she said. “You must be at
a good company. Anytime my ex went out of town on business, he had
to go alone. This is pretty nice.”