7
SATURDAY MORNING Macy woke up feeling as if she’d run a marathon. Her body ached in odd places, but in a good way. She got up before Griffin, showered and put on her clothes from the night before. She was about to slip out the door to go to her room and get dressed when he stirred.
“Hey, what’re you doing out of bed?” he said as he stretched.
“I need to get some clean clothes and catch up with Lauren. And you should probably track down Carson before he thinks we’ve permanently abandoned him.”
“Oh, right. Him. Why don’t we all meet up for breakfast downstairs at the buffet in a half hour? Will that work for you?”
“Assuming Lauren’s awake and ready to go, yes. I’ll call you otherwise.”
He got out of bed and crossed the room to her, then bent and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Last night was unbelievable.”
“Yeah,” she said, smiling.
Frustrating as hell, but unbelievable.
She turned and left the room. Outside in the hallway, she tapped on her door and waited for Lauren to answer. A few moments later, the door swung open, and her friend peered at her from behind a mop of dark hair hanging in front of her face.
“What do you do at night—pretend you’re at a heavy metal concert?”
“I just finished drying my hair, smart ass.”
“You want to get breakfast at the buffet?” Macy asked, only to find herself being grabbed and pulled into the room without ceremony.
Lauren closed the door and started brushing her long mop of hair into submission. “Of course I do, but don’t start acting all casual like you have nothing to tell me about last night.”
“I don’t really have anything to tell you.”
“It’s my theory you’re proving here. I deserve details.”
“You want the truth? Okay, your idea about manipulating results in my favor sucks the big one. It doesn’t take into account guys like Griffin, who are so determined to make a girl come that they’re willing to stay up all night to make it happen.”
“You screwed all night?”
“No, I finally wore him out for good around two in the morning.”
“Bet you deserve another award for faking it,” Lauren said, not even trying to hide her amusement. “Maybe even a trophy case full of them.”
“Yeah, that would be great to show guests at my apartment.”
“I told you, you’ve just got to learn to enjoy the endorphins.”
“I enjoyed the hell out of those endorphins, but I still wanted more.”
Lauren went into the bathroom where she could look in the mirror as she put the final touches on her hairdo.
“Seriously,” Macy said, following her. “This is way harder than I thought it would be. Griffin thinks he’s a sex superhero or something. It was crazy the lengths he went to—even after I did my best acting.”
She sat down on the edge of the huge hot tub that dominated the bathroom.
“He didn’t even buy my first acting attempt—well, not completely.”
Lauren looked at her wide-eyed through the mirror. “He figured out you were faking it?”
“He asked, but I managed to convince him he was wrong. I thought I’d done a pretty convincing job.”
“You’re an award-winning orgasm actress. I’m sure you gave a great performance.”
“Ha-ha. After that first time, he kicked it into high gear and made sure he tried extra hard to make me come for the rest of the night.”
“Sounds like…fun.”
“I just don’t get how he could have figured me out.”
“Some guys actually pay attention to the signs,” Lauren said so casually that if Macy hadn’t been a witness, she never would have guessed this whole faking-it thing had been her idea in the first place.
“That’s wonderful. So I’ve probably lucked into the one guy in a million who can read a woman’s body.”
“Hey…” Lauren shrugged. “If it weren’t for bad luck, you’d have no luck at all.”
“You’re just overflowing with crap today, aren’t you?”
Lauren suppressed a smile. “I’m sensing hostility. Not an uncommon side effect of sexual deprivation.”
“Is my whole life just one big science experiment to you?”
“Basically,” Lauren said, and had Macy not known her better she might have believed her. “What I’m really interested in hearing more about, though, is the actual experience. Did you notice him having any immediate dumbed-down effects?”
“I thought you already had your results. Spare me the microscope.”
Lauren stared at her, the stubborn set of her mouth making it clear she wanted an answer.
“I didn’t come. He did. End of story. If you want to know the results, you can just wait and see what happens on Monday.”
Lauren’s expression changed from annoyed to amused, and she launched into a bad Jimmy Buffet version of “Come Monday.”
“Thank you for ruining that song for me.”
“Takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose it would if I had any intention of sleeping with Griffin again after this weekend is done.”
Lauren went into the bathroom and began fixing her hair in the mirror. “Why wouldn’t you? I mean, if you need a little relief from all the action you’re getting now…”
Good question. Why wouldn’t she? Well, there was the obvious. “Because I’m going to be his boss soon? Isn’t that a good enough reason?”
“I guess if you’re going to be all anal-retentive about it, sure.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“Seriously, though, you’re right. Once you’ve been promoted, no screwing around with the office help is a good rule to follow. But until then, why can’t you get yours?”
Macy sighed and went out into the main room to find an outfit. Bright sunlight poured through the wall of windows that overlooked the balcony and outside. Even though it was only ten in the morning, the sounds pouring in from a door Lauren had left open were of a city wide awake.
Macy went to the open door, inhaled the hot desert air and then closed it. “How can you stand all that heat pouring in here?”
Lauren came out of the bathroom with her long dark hair smoothed into a shiny curtain and shrugged. “I thought it felt kind of nice. I like the dry air.”
“I already took a shower, but I still need to change clothes and then we can go. Griffin and Carson are probably already waiting downstairs for us.”
“You didn’t answer my question—why can’t you get it on with Griffin until the promotion happens?”
“Maybe I don’t want to.” Macy avoided eye contact as she went to the closet and rummaged around for the appropriate outfit.
Lauren’s knowing gaze seemed to be burning a hole into her back. “That’s not true. You’re into him.”
“I am not,” Macy said, trying her best to sound casual, when actually, the accusation struck her as, at best, infuriating.
How could she, a self-respecting woman with excellent taste in men, be into a guy who clearly thought so much of himself? She couldn’t.
More likely, she was just into the whole idea of a weekend fling with her adolescent-fantasy guy. And maybe the sexual frustration thing was clouding her otherwise good judgment.
She selected a beaded green camisole and a matching purple-and-green skirt to wear, then went into the bathroom to change. Once dressed, she found a pair of platform espadrilles to complete the outfit, and when she turned to Lauren, her friend gave her another one of those all-knowing looks.
“Don’t kid yourself—you’re into him.”
Macy rolled her eyes and threw up her hands in defeat. “Believe what you want. And what exactly is your story again? You’re a freewheeling flight attendant from Atlanta?”
“San Francisco.”
They walked to the elevator, rode it to the casino level and walked to the buffet. The Golden Gate Casino’s breakfast layout turned out to be an impressive one, complete with seafood and dessert and just about everything else Macy could think of.
They spotted Griffin and Carson across the room and gave them a little wave, then went to load up their plates.
“Okay, he looks doable,” Lauren said as she selected several gigantic strawberries.
“Told you.”
“And you’re sure he’s not obnoxious? I can’t tolerate obnoxiousness.”
“He’s fun. Really fun. I promise.”
“So why haven’t you dated him?”
Macy piled a couple of huge wedges of French toast onto her plate. “I don’t know. I guess he’s never shown any particular interest. Maybe he’s not into blondes.”
“Every guy is into blondes who look like you.”
She made a face at Lauren. “Whatever.”
“I bet I know. Griffin is into you—probably has been for years—and Carson knows it. He doesn’t want to step on his friend’s toes.”
“That’s ridiculous. Griffin and I have never gotten along in the office.”
“Sexual tension can do that.”
They moved farther down the buffet, and Macy found herself torn between fruit crepes and eggs Benedict. She was running out of room on her plate.
“I don’t know why you think you can take a tiny bit of information and extrapolate entire relationship histories based on almost nothing.”
Lauren’s mysterious little smile would have been more infuriating if Macy hadn’t been so used to it. And Lauren’s extrapolations themselves would have been more infuriating if she wasn’t so often correct.
“There’s no other explanation. If Carson has never flirted with you, it’s because he knows his friend wants you.”
“I’m so glad you know everything. It must make life a breeze for you.”
“Yeah, and I’m pretty handy to have around, aren’t I?”
Lauren had an uncanny way of ignoring sarcasm when she wanted to, and piling it on thick when it helped her make a point.
They carried their plates to the table where Carson and Griffin were sitting with cups of coffee, and Macy went through the usual introductions.
The guys went off to grab their own plates of food, and as soon as they were gone, Lauren pinned Macy with a look that said she approved of Carson.
“He’s hot,” she said. “Very hot.”
“Told you. Too bad you’re just a flight attendant looking for a weekend fling, because I think you and Carson could hit it off.”
Lauren stabbed a strawberry, her expression blasé. “I’m holding out for a wealthy foreign national so I can snag dual citizenship for someplace cool like Monaco.”
“Right, because we bump into so many wealthy foreign nationals in our everyday lives. That makes perfect sense.”
“In my flight-attendant career, I meet them all the time. And I think a girl has to stick to her guns, keep her standards high and all that.” Her attention was on the gigantic strawberry now.
“You’re just afraid of finding a guy you could really fall for and then having to face the big C-word.”
“Cunnilingus? I’m all for it.”
Macy tried to keep a straight face but failed. “Commitment, smart ass.”
Lauren made a face and shuddered. “You’re right about that. I’m so not the marriage-and-kids type. I might as well get it tattooed on my forehead, so the guys who are can just avoid the disappointment.”
“Or you can keep using false identities and pretending to be a footloose flight attendant. What’s your fake name, by the way?”
“I could do without the acidic disapproval. And my name’s Lauren Smith.”
“That’s creative.”
“It’s easy to remember, okay, smart ass?”
Macy spotted the guys headed in their direction, and she lowered her voice. “Okay, Lauren Smith. Just be sure not to let him see your driver’s license, and when you’re lamenting the fact that you’ve lost a perfectly good guy, don’t cry to me about it.”
But she knew her words were falling on indifferent ears. Lauren had never, and probably would never, find one guy she could settle for. Macy almost admired her insatiable appetite for variety, but unlike Lauren, she believed that there was even more satisfaction to be had in finding one guy with whom she could develop a soul-deep connection.
When she glanced up at Griffin sitting down at their table again, he flashed a knowing little smile that spoke volumes about what was on his mind, and she knew without a doubt that he was not one of those guys. Theirs was a surface connection, born purely of sexual hormones, misguided adolescent dreams and frustration.
“Either of you have anything in mind you’d like to see today?” Griffin asked.
“I’m open to whatever,” Macy said. “I guess we should check out everything here at the hotel before we venture out.”
“So far I’m pretty impressed,” Carson said. “I’ve stayed at a lot of Vegas hotels, but this one actually manages to look more classy than cheesy.”
“Isn’t it kind of cheesy to use the word classy?” Griffin said, his green eyes sparking with mischief.
“Shut up,” Carson said. “You know what I mean.”
“It’s true,” Lauren said. “This is the first Vegas hotel I’ve seen that manages to do over-the-top in a really tasteful way.”
Macy ate her French toast as she listened to them talking about possible marketing strategies. Lauren, intelligent as she was, had plenty to offer despite the fact that it wasn’t her industry. Macy had her own thoughts about the slant to take on the campaign, but they were still simmering in her head, and she didn’t like to share her ideas while they were still half-baked.
In fact, her creative process was probably part of what had always sparked tension between herself and Griffin. It drove him crazy when she held back during brainstorming sessions.
And while she could see that maybe she came off as not a team player, she believed that some of the best inspirations only became diluted when worked on by committee. She preferred to develop her thoughts until they were fully formed and could have the most impact. Then, and only then, would she present them and make herself open to feedback.
By the time she’d finished most of her breakfast, the conversation had turned from ad campaigns to Vegas attractions to Lauren’s faux career as a flight attendant. The guys were listening attentively as she spun lie after lie about herself, and Macy marveled at the ease with which she did it.
“So you’ve probably traveled all over the world then,” Carson said.
Lauren nodded. That part, at least, was true. Lauren’s family had money—lots and lots of money—and they never hesitated to send their daughter on exotic trips, with or without them.
“What’s your favorite place you’ve ever visited?” Carson asked.
While Macy had thought Lauren’s answer would be Paris, she surprised her. “Romania, believe it or not.”
“Really? What was it that you liked?”
“The whole Carpathian mountain region, with all its dark legends about Dracula—it really got to me. Something about it resonated, and I could see why those legends developed. It’s really a haunting, mysterious place. Not like anywhere else I’ve ever been.”
“Wow.”
“Are you one of those goth chicks who’s all into vampires and stuff?” Carson asked, sounding vaguely turned on by the idea.
Macy tried not to laugh. “Maybe she’s a little designer goth.”
Lauren narrowed her eyes at Macy. “Am I now?”
“You’re always wearing dark colors, and you’ve got the dark hair and pale skin….”
“First, this is my natural coloring, and second, we live in San Francisco. You just described ninety percent of the population.”
“And you’ve got that funky altar in your house.”
“It’s not an altar. It’s just some damn candles. On a shelf.” Lauren’s voice had turned a little stiff, and her expression had lost its usual cool detachment. Now her mouth was set in a grim, sarcastic line.
Macy had never seen her get flustered like this before. As though she was trying not to, but it wasn’t working. Maybe she just didn’t want to be teased in front of a guy she wanted to score with.
“Hey, I think if we sit here much longer I might be tempted to eat more food. Why don’t we skip out of here and go find some trouble to get into,” Carson said, his timing impeccable.
“Yeah, this being Macy’s first time in Vegas, she’s got lots of trouble to find.”
Carson glanced at his watch. “I was thinking of doing a little gambling. Anyone interested?”
Lauren’s grim expression vanished. “That sounds right up my alley.”
“I don’t know.” Macy glanced at Griffin. “Do you want to split up, maybe catch up again at dinner time?”
The last thing she needed was Carson around taking notes on every little thing that happened between her and Griffin, and she didn’t really feel like gambling right after breakfast, anyway. She figured she’d played the odds enough last night with her ten minutes on the slots.
“I’m cool with that.” Griffin looked at Carson. “We were thinking of catching the show at the Golden Gate last night, but we got, um, sidetracked. Want us to pick up tickets for all of us for a show tonight?”
Carson shrugged and looked at Lauren. “You game?”
“Absolutely.”
“We’re there. What do you say we meet up for dinner around seven?”
They decided to make reservations at one of the hotel restaurants, then catch up via cell phone to confirm the final plans. Five minutes later, the two couples had parted ways, and Macy and Griffin headed out into the blinding desert sunlight through a huge rotating brass door.
After the dark, artificial world of the hotel, the outdoors seemed unreal. And truly not much about Vegas seemed real, not the Technicolor blue of the sky, not the spectacle of the architecture, not the constant bustle of the crowds.
The unreal atmosphere renewed Macy’s sense that she could break all the rules this weekend. That here in the desert, she could do everything wrong, and she’d still be all right. She could take risks, sleep with the wrong man, tell lies for fun and profit.
In a city where nothing was as it seemed, Macy felt as if she fit right in.
Macy Thomaston, Queen of the Fake Orgasm, performing tonight at the Golden Gate Resort and Casino, Las Vegas. This weekend only.