Staying in Vegas

Part 3, Segment 3

Gary and Lisa carried their bags into the lobby of the Excalibur Hotel, and found their way to the check-in desk. Gary couldn’t wait to get checked in. Not only was he tired from the drive, but he could almost feel the sun sinking. By the time they were finished, it would be dark.

There was a line of several people ahead of the two of them. Some were couples much like he and Lisa. There was a tourist family, with two bratty kids that the mother was straining to control. There was a group of Japanese businessmen, or at least that’s what they looked like with their suits and briefcases. And unlike the stereotypes, not one of these men had a camera.

There were only three people working windows at the check-in desk. One was a very efficient older woman, who had moved through three parties quietly and quickly. The second was a young guy. Gary figured the kid was barely out of college, if that. He seemed to get flustered by every little thing. Gary prayed he wouldn’t get stuck with that one.

The third was another woman. She was also young, and very attractive. She had a sweet smile and a kind demeanor. Although she wasn’t quite as good at her job as the old woman next to her, she seemed to be doing everything she could to make the process move. He sensed that it had been a long afternoon, and the tempers of the people waiting to check in had started wearing on her.

Gary and Lisa made it up to the second spot in line when the kid and the cute woman both finished with their present guests. The man in front of Gary started towards the smiling beauty. At that moment, Gary felt the sun disappear completely. He put his hand on the man’s shoulder. The man turned to face Gary. Gary silently suggested the man should go to the other window. The man’s face went pale, and then he nodded and obediently went to be “helped” by the pimple-faced kid.

Gary and Lisa deposited their bags in front of the desk. He fished out his wallet and told the woman his name for the reservation. She typed something on the keyboard in front of her, then left her station to grab a couple of the plastic cards the hotel used for keys.

“Babe, I’m gonna go check out the tables while you’re checking in.” Lisa practically skipped away, leaving Gary to take care of business. She wanted to go to Vegas so much. Gary hadn’t been real excited by the idea when they planned it, although he liked the idea much more in the last 24 hours.

“Sir!”

Gary snapped back to the clerk. He saw her name—Melody—on her nametag.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” he said.

“I said I’m afraid I can’t find your reservation. Are you sure you called this hotel?”

“Of course I’m sure. Is there more than one Excalibur in Las Vegas?”

“Well, I can’t find your name in our computer. I’m afraid we’re all booked up tonight.”

Gary felt his anger and frustration rising. This was supposed to be the vacation part of this trip, and now it was not getting off to a good start. But before he said or did anything else, he felt the pressure against his gums. He realized that he didn’t have to lose it, and that he couldn’t afford to lose control. Instead, he took control.

“Melody,” he said softly as he stared into her big brown eyes, “do you have any rooms available?”

Her face went blank at first, and then her body seemed to relax. Gary didn’t want to push too hard, at least not yet.

“The only room we have that isn’t reserved is the King’s Suite.”

“Then you will put me in the King’s Suite. And you will make sure that I am treated like a king.” He smiled to her as he spoke, so as to reassure her through the minor haze of his control. “And I won’t be charged any more than I would have been for a normal room.”

Gary released her from his active control, hoping his suggestions would sink in. He watched her reactions as she returned to normal.

“I’m sorry for the confusion, sir,” she said, looking back down at her computer terminal. “It seems we do have the King’s Suite still available. If you don’t mind that, we can put you up there. And of course we won’t charge you any more than you already were quoted.” She smiled back at Gary. “After all, we treat all of our guests like kings.”

Melody handed him the map of the hotel, directing Gary to the tower where the suite was located. He reached across the desk and held her hand, once again reaching also into her mind. “When do you get off tonight?”

“My shift ends at midnight,” she said stiffly.

“Then you will come to my room by 12:15. Do you understand?”

“Of course.”

Gary released Melody, gathered up the keycards and his papers, and went off to find Lisa.

* * *

“This is wonderful!” Lisa screamed as she rolled around on the oversized bed. The King’s Suite stretched across half a floor, with three separate rooms including an enormous bathroom with a whirlpool. “And you’re sure we don’t have to pay more for all this?”

“Positive,” he said. “We just got lucky enough to be the first bumped guest.”

“Well, in that case, I hope we get bumped more often.”

Gary had sat down on a leather sofa in the master bedroom, from which he could watch his fiancee revel in the luxurious bed while he also stared out into the night sky through the room-length windows. His mind spun with ideas on how to enjoy the next three days.

“Tell you what, love,” Lisa said, jumping off the bed. “Let’s go down to the casino and live it up a bit. Then later, if you get bored with it, you can come back here while I gamble.”

Gary couldn’t believe the energy Lisa had, despite the fact that it was night, and they had driven most of the day. He supposed she had been saving all of her energy for the next few days. And he knew how much she loved gambling. Fortunately, she was also very lucky when it came to slot machines, so she usually ended up paying for her hours-on-end binges. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t at worst break even.

“That sounds fine. But before that, don’t you think we ought to change? I doubt you want to go down there in the same clothes you’ve been wearing all day.”

Lisa had a twinkle in her eye. “I had the same thought. But you have to promise not to look. I’ve got a surprise.”

“So what, I should cover my eyes?”

“Yes. In fact, that’s exactly what you should do.”

Gary played along. After reaffirming that he had covered his eyes, and that he couldn’t see anything, Lisa opened one of her bags and pulled out a special outfit.

Next, she stripped off her shorts and t-shirt. She also removed her white cotton bra and panties. Then she slipped into the dress.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

Gary was most impressed with what he saw. Lisa was wearing a tight black cocktail dress that left precious little to the imagination. The hem was barely long enough to be considered a micro-mini. And she had only spaghetti straps to hold the dress up. Her cleavage was evident, as the neckline plunged (wonderfully, in his eyes) in front and even further in back. In Minnesota, this dress would be scandalous. Here, it was only...

“Beautiful. Sexy. Absolutely perfect. And the dress isn’t bad either.”

Lisa blushed. She loved it though. She had never felt confident enough to show herself off like this, but something about this city and the trip and the move and all. She knew she never had to fear Gary’s reaction when it came to her body. “So you like?”

“Absolutely. So how about we go find a bank to break?”

Lisa hugged Gary, and kissed him deeply. Gary felt her nipples, hardened in the conditioned air, as she pressed against his chest. Oh yes, he thought, this will be a wonderful few days.