Steeling My Haart (7 page)

        
The
limo transfer from the airport to the hotel took little over fifteen minutes
with the lighter mid-morning traffic of Las Vegas.
 
Bruce headed off to check in and Emma
took in the stunning sight of the opulent lobby in the Mandalay Bay. The
polished floors coupled with the ornate plasterwork pillars and the intricate
cornices made for quite a breathtaking sight to a Las Vegas virgin like Emma. Aside
from the work aspect, she was slightly excited to be out of New York for the
first time in a long while. Other than her infrequent and very short trips back
home to see her parents, she rarely went further than the office. Once they had
checked in, she was considering hiring a cab to take her down the strip for a look
at the promised bustle of Las Vegas.
 
She soon discovered, however, that Bruce had other ideas.

        
“So,
it appears that they have overbooked the suites in the hotel this week with it
being the conference week. Do you have any objections to sharing a two bedroom
suite?” he asked her quickly as he handed their bags to the bellhop and headed
to the elevator.
 
“We need to go
drop our bags off in the rooms and then I’m taking you for a tour of the
city.
 
A little someone told me it’s
your first time to Vegas so I’m going to show you the sights,” he said as he
grinned roguishly. Emma was a little annoyed at his assumption. Before she had
a chance to say that she didn’t mind simply booking into a standard room on her
own, she had been ushered into the elevator and was heading up toward the
suite.

        
After
tipping the bellhop, Bruce led her into the suite that on first impressions was
more like a small apartment than a hotel room. As he strode confidently into
the huge entrance area, he spoke to her dismissively, “Go ahead, have a good
look around and familiarize yourself with our home for the next few days. Oh, and
please go ahead and pick your room. I’m not fussy about where I sleep, so
ladies first.”

        
“Seriously,
Bruce, I am fine with a standard room downstairs. I’ll head back down to the
lobby and I will be able to charge one back to the company if I explain.”
 
She finished speaking and turned to walk
towards the door without even looking any further at the suite they were in. A
hesitant hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm.

        
“No,
Emma, please stay here. There’s plenty of room for both of us to be comfortable
without it being awkward. I’m sorry things haven’t turned out as I’d planned
but this is far too big for me to rattle around on my own now my father has
backed out on me. Besides, I don’t want to be drinking through that
complimentary bar all on my own,” he joked. “Come, let’s have a look around
together and if you still feel the same after you’ve seen the facilities then I
insist on taking the standard room and you can have this.
 
How’s that for an idea?” Gently taking
her by the elbow and steering her around the vast space she realized that it wouldn’t
be too hard to share the space.

        
The
first thing that hit her was the delightfully modern living space they were in.
It was open plan with a large sofa area complete with huge flat screen
television and entertainment area.
 
A conference-style table was placed to the right of the living area, but
the most stunning feature was the entire backdrop of the suite. It was a floor
to ceiling window, boasting a fantastic vista of the whole of the Las Vegas
strip.
 
They were thirty floors up
in the main section of the hotel and she was rendered speechless at the view.

        
The
bedrooms were situated at either end of the long suite, leaving the vast common
area between the two more private spaces. When they entered the cavernous rooms,
she saw they both faced out in the same direction as the main space. They each featured
floor to ceiling windows with equally breath-taking views. Both came with a
fully equipped private bathroom, decked out in marble and chrome.
 
The one thing that caught her attention
the most though was the huge soaking tub. She noted that the bedrooms alone
were the size of her first New York apartment that she had shared with Lily.
 
Taking her opportunity to break the
tension that had been evident since she had been caught checking him out she
said, “Okay, okay, I’ll stay, but you take the larger room, Bruce, I insist.”
And at that they both fell about laughing.

        
“Okay,
Miss McKellan, that’s a deal! And I don’t know about you, but I need food. So
can you be ready in about thirty minutes and I’ll give you the Bruce’s special
Las Vegas tour?” He dramatically rubbed his stomach as he spoke.

        
“Yes,
that sounds good, actually. I’m starving.
 
Let me go freshen up and meet you back here in thirty.” He nodded in
agreement as she grabbed her bag and claimed the nearest bedroom. She smiled
slightly and relief flowed over her as the earlier tension had been broken.

 
       
There
wasn’t going to be time for Emma to try out the bath before she had to meet
Bruce, so she undressed and stepped into the huge shower cubicle.
 
The cool jets felt heavenly on her warm
skin and in no time she was showered, and she threw on a light cotton summer
dress with her pumps and she stepped out into the main living area to a freshly
showered Bruce, who was already making good use of the minibar.

        
“Emma,
I don’t know what your poison is, but I took the liberty of making you a Gin
and Tonic?” he handed her a tumbler and she sipped it gratefully.
 

        
“Thanks,
Bruce, that’s perfect.
 
So, what
have you got planned for this afternoon then?”

        
“Well,
first off, we’re heading to Caesars Palace.
 
They have a Cheesecake Factory and I am
in need of cheesecake!” He grinned like a kid at Christmas.

        
“Cheesecake?
Seriously, Bruce? Cheesecake? I’m not complaining but I didn’t take you as a
cheesy kind of guy!” Emma giggled and took another sip of the nice cool drink.

        
“They
do other food, too,” he countered, playfully. “Besides, I love the shopping in
there.
 
And wait until you see the
shopping mall. It’s like a real street and they alter the weather and lighting
so turns to night time inside twice a day.” He sounded more excited by the
second and she was amused to see such a different side to the often cool, yet
flirty Bruce she thought she knew.
 

        
“Okay,
Bruce, lead the way.
 
Do you fancy
trying your luck at the casinos later?” she suggested.

        
“Oh,
Emma, I have something far better to do tonight than gambling. It isn’t really
my thing because the only sure thing is that I always lose. Trust me when I say,
you are going to love what I have planned, though. But I am sure we can hit the
slots and the tables tomorrow to wind down after schmoozing those stuffed
shirts at the expo, if you like?” he suggested. She was a bit nervous, though,
at how he seemed to have everything a little too meticulously planned.

        
“Sounds
like a plan, and I’d sure like to have a go on the slots at least before we leave.
I can’t come to Vegas and not have at least one night of gambling.” She pouted
at him playfully.

        
“There
is a full afternoon of fun to be had before tonight too so come on drink up
young lady and let the tour commence.” Emma was forced to put down the remains
of her drink and grab her purse as Bruce grabbed her by the hand and headed out
towards the elevator and the crazy city beyond.
 
She could feel Bruce was buzzing with
excitement as he led her down to the lobby. As they reached the front entrance
of the hotel she noticed that he tipped the doorman generously as he held the
waiting cab door open for her.

        
“Where
to, sir?” the detached voice crackled via the intercom through the cab.
 

        
“The
Forum, Caesars Palace.” Bruce’s reply was short as the cab pulled out and onto
the famous Las Vegas strip.
 
Looking
out of the window at the overstated luxury of the hotels she was in awe of the
extravagance of the place.
 
She had
barely been here a few hours and she was already feeling like an alien. She
also felt a spark of excitement about the afternoon that had been so
thoughtfully planned for her to enjoy.
 
Bruce had in no way even made her feel uncomfortable in his company and she
had to admit he was being the perfect gent. Looking over at him, she caught him
watching her taking in the city surroundings with a small smile on his face.
She smiled back at him and turned to look back out of the window as the cab
crept slowly in the midday traffic on the strip towards their destination.

        
“This
place is just one big playground, and although it’s Sin City in a lot of ways,
there are plenty of other things to do, as well.
 
I’m thinking we hit up the Cheesecake Factory
first then we can do some shopping for an outfit for us both for later. You
might need a new outfit for what I have planned tonight,” he smiled, and then turned
to look out of the window. She noticed he kept drifting away into his own
little world.
 
She saw a cloud of
despondency then sweep over his face, as if he was recollecting something personal.
 
He remained quiet for the rest of the
short cab ride.

        
As
they reached their destination he jumped up and paid the cab driver, he then
walked and opened Emma’s door and helped her out of the cab.
 
She startled as he took her hand in his,
like it was the most normal thing to do. He led her towards the hotel and
through the main lobby towards the Forum shops.
 
The luxury of the hotel coupled with the
over the top glamour of the shopping area left Emma speechless.
 
Living in New York was a huge step up
for a small-town Oklahoma girl, but walking into this was impressive.
 
An excited Bruce led her through the
artificial streets that were lined with every designer shop imaginable. After
walking the full length of the mall, they finally arrived at their lunch
destination. There was no queue when they arrived because it was still slightly
early for the major lunch rush. They were seated immediately in the area
outside of the restaurant on Bruce’s request.
 
He insisted she was seated facing the
shopping mall.

 
       
“Wow,
this place is amazing.
 
I have heard
so much about Las Vegas, but nothing anyone can say will prepare you for all…
this.” She waved her hands around the scene in front of her. As she did, she
noticed a change in the music and the sound of a voice booming from across the
atrium from where they sat.
 
All of
a sudden, the huge sculpture in the middle of the large open space came to
life.
 
For the next ten minutes, the
famed Fall of Atlantis scene played out in front of her. Bruce had turned to
watch the scene unfolding too bouncing in his seat like a child.

        
“See,
Emma, this is the perfect spot to watch the show, besides me liking the
desserts here, wasn’t it worth it just for that?” This was a side of Bruce that
Emma was enjoying more and more and she relaxed with him into a general
conversation about a couple of the projects she was working on with him whilst
they ordered and ate a light lunch.
 

        
“So
what’ll it be, then?” he asked as the server cleared their empty plates.
 

        
“What
do you mean?” she replied.

        
“Cheesecake,
of course?
 
What else?” He looked at
her incredulously, as if she had just asked the most stupid question ever.

        
“I’m
having the Snickers one, it’s the best.” He winked.
 

        
Laughing
heartily for the first time in a long time, Emma pondered the menu the server
had just handed her for a second before deciding, “Well, if you insist, it has
to be the Godiva Chocolate one for me.
 
It’s just the most amazing chocolate ever.”

        
“I’ll
remember that one. Godiva chocolate. Got it.
 
It might come in useful for persuasion
purposes down the line.”

        
“Cheeky!
But, yes, aside from the Blaze’s Bake it’s one of my all-time favorite treats
and often works to butter me up”

        
“Blaze’s
Bake? As in M’s Place Blaze’s Bake? I didn’t know you liked M’s Place?
 
I’ve been going there for years.
 
It’s one of my favorite places to meet
with… erm… friends.” He stopped short before he was about to confess to
something.