I have to half-jog to keep up with Aaron, but Justin doesn’t seem to have the same problem. Their legs are nearly twice the length of mine, or at least it feels like that as I try to keep up with them. With his hand locked around my arm, it feels a little like I’m being dragged.
The entrance doors slide open, the glass silently parting as we make our way through them. We head straight towards the casino, and I look around, feeling embarrassed. I’ve been here maybe a dozen times to pick up my father, but each time the place takes my breath away.
Chandeliers seem to rain down everywhere, and everything is either made of glass or something that looks like a diamond. It’s breathtaking. The Cortez says classy and money without being gaudy or in your face. Everyone is dressed to match the ambience of the casino— women in evening dresses, and men in suits.
This was a place I easily stood out in, and not in the way you would hope. As we make the long walk through the casino, multiple people try to stop and talk to either Aaron or Justin. They begin to approach, but quickly stop when the guys shoot them a stern look. Others just stare, wondering what is happening, and a few women openly eye-f*ck
them. I wonder if one of them might be Mandy, and I’m a little surprised at how catty that sounds.
When we reach an elevator, Aaron releases my arm, swipes a key card and the doors open. I don’t wait for him to grab me again. I quickly enter on my own, both of them following after. I lean against the back wall as they key in a code. The doors shut and the elevator comes to life. I expect someone to say something, anything, but the silence continues. Aaron hasn’t said a word to me since I tried to apologize, and I wonder if I should try again. Maybe Justin is the one I could appeal to.
I’m thankful when the elevator doesn’t stop at any other floors and goes straight to wherever it’s taking us. I don’t think I can take any more stares tonight. I feel like I’ve been on display for far too long, and I really just want the night to be over with.
When we step from the elevator, I expect to head down a hallway to a room, but we enter right into a giant suite. Glass windows line the walls from ceiling to floor, overlooking all of Las Vegas. Most suites I’ve seen in Vegas look like they’re ready for a party, but this one looks warmer and more welcoming. It’s not at all what I expected from a suite in this hotel. I was picturing clinical white decor with more chandeliers. This place looks more lived-in.
Maybe it is lived in. This could be where they keep their mistresses. Maybe they like to keep them close, and I’m sure since they both work at the casino a lot it makes it easier. I instantly feel exhausted at the thought, and I hate that I even care. I don’t want to care, and I shouldn’t care. I just want this day to be over with so that maybe after a night of sleep I can clear my head a little. I need to get things back on track and not be so off balance.
“I…I’m sorry. Can we maybe call it a night? I’m beat,” I ask softly. I shouldn’t be asking for anything after what happened in the limo. I should be thanking them for not sending me back to Samantha where I might get auctioned off to someone else. She could probably just take the money back and kick me to the curb. I should be thanking my lucky stars that Aaron and Justin bought me, and I wasn’t just with some random guy who might be a total dick. At least with these two I know they have a soft spot in them.
They both turn and look at me, and I can’t decipher what their look means. I guess this is beginning to be something that’s common with them. They can be so hard to read at times.
“Please don’t send me back.” The words tumble from my mouth, sounding pathetic and filled with emotion.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Aaron snaps in that stern voice he’s adopted since the limo incident. Yes, that’s what I’m calling it now. ‘The limo incident.’
Justin shoots him a look.
“Come with me, Stella. I’ll show you to your room.” Justin motions to me to follow him, and I do, not waiting for Aaron. I feel him follow me, his stare burning into my back.
Justin slides open two double doors, revealing a massive bed in the center of the room. The room is surrounded by glass windows on three sides and even the ceiling is made of glass. Guess you can’t sleep late with a room like this. No sooner does the thought enter my head than Justin flips a switch, making drapes close around the room. With a second click, a panel comes from out of the wall, covering the entire glass ceiling. It’s amazing to watch.
“You have clothes in the closet, and anything you might need in the bathroom. If there’s something missing or something that you’d rather have instead, just call down to the fron—“
“No, she calls one of us. Only us,” Aaron says, cutting him off.
Justin just rolls his eyes, and carries on. “We’re lines one and two.”