Contemporary
One Night In Vegas
By A
Aug 18, 2007, 11:13

The plan had started out simple. One of the nation’s largest writer’s conventions convened in Las Vegas, Nevada this year and she’d spent the last of her savings for an airplane ticket and room at the casino hosting the convention. It had cost her a fortune. She’d been here three days and she still hadn’t landed an agent or piqued anyone’s interest. Unfortunately, she had met plenty of guys posing as agents so that they could get laid. And then there were real male agents who only considered reviewing your work if you slept with them first. One such agent was Tom Durn and he’d made his proposal abundantly clear.

“Maybe I should consider him?” Dark asked her stark reflection. The thirty-three-year-old woman staring back at her shook her head no in response.  

“Yeah, your right. I’m not that desperate…yet.” Dark sighed heavily as she left the reprieve of the casino’s bathroom. She joined the crowd of authors, agents, editors, and the like in the casino’s ballroom and continued hobnobbing several more hours. Feeling tired and frustrated, Dark decided to call it a night.

As she walked to the elevator she took in the casino's busy sounds.  Somewhere nearby the casino had a musical act playing. The floor was crowded with slot machines taunting customers to enter just one more coin. Patrons surrounded the blackjack tables and the roulette table. Though she hadn’t dared to play any of the tables or slots, Dark already felt as though she’d gambled and lost.

She decided to let herself indulge just for a moment while riding the elevator.  Dark let her mind wander to him. She’d managed to block his memory out most of the day, aside from when she saw someone similarly built in the crowd. She was pretty certain it wasn’t him though; she couldn't imagine he would be at the conference. At least she didn’t think he’d be at a conference. Truth was, Dark didn't know anything about him. But for some reason, she’d found it hard to keep him out of her thoughts.

God, he had been perfect. The night had been perfect. After meeting with several other unpublished authors, being harassed by Tom, and unable to sleep, Dark had decided to go to the bar and have an early morning drink. It had been close to 2:00 a.m. when she finally headed downstairs and there he was, sitting alone at the bar lost in his own problems. Tall, tan, and lean. Every inch of him seemed to be covered with well-toned muscles. He had dark brown hair sprinkled with just a pinch of gray. Yet, his most alarming feature was his crystal blue eyes.

Dark still wasn’t sure what had prompted her to approach him, but she had. What followed was even more out of character for her. She’d ended up sleeping with him. Dark quietly giggled like a school girl in the hallway leading to her room. She still had no idea what had prompted her to act so out of character, but it had at least been fun for the moment. There was absolutely no way she could ever do it again. 

No, it was her one and only one-night stand. But if there was ever a place and time to do it, it was here and now. She was lonely and definitely down on her luck. Having such a good-looking man take interest in her had been intoxicating. She honestly could not remember the last time she'd had sex.  Dark knew she’d never see him again and soon enough she would return to her dreary life.

So she’d let the man lead her to his room, and then to his bed. She had awakened several hours later and watched him sleep for several moments. She noticed several scars on his well-toned arms and legs. When she examined them closer, they had appeared to be healed gunshot wounds. Somehow, Dark had managed to drag her eyes away from the beautifully naked man and dress quietly. She’d slipped out of his room and back to her own without anyone noticing.

She had no idea what his name was, they’d agreed not to say. Thinking about how uninhibited she had been with the man made Dark blush as she opened the door to her room. She silently chided herself for not leaving a light on in the room. She couldn’t see anything. Dark carefully made her way across the room to her makeup table and turned on the dim lamp. She began taking out the pins holding her long black hair.

It had been a waste, Dark thought as she brushed out her hair and removed her studded earrings. It was time to face the reality of the here and now: all this time, money, and energy had been wasted. Jerome was right, nothing would ever come of her writing. He had told her as much countless times during the years of their marriage. Frowning at the thought of her ex-husband, she slipped off her black heels and began to unzip the back of her little black dress. She wouldn't waste anymore of her time on Jerome, he didn't deserve it.

“Stop,” a deep voice demanded. Dark jumped, her eyes flashing up to the mirror. She saw the silhouette of a man seated at the table beside her bed.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my room?” Dark demanded with more force and authority than she felt. Her body went cold with the realization that there was some strange man in her room. As the man turned on the light beside the bed, Dark's face went ashen white.

“Watching you brush your hair was bad enough, but if I have to watch you undress there might be hell to pay.” The man did not look happy by his declaration. In fact, he looked down right mad at Dark for daring to undress in her own room.

“What are you doing here?” Dark demanded again. One night stands were supposed to disappear, right? Dark was no pro, but wasn’t that the whole idea? Why was her guy sitting in her room then?

“I have a proposition for you,” Miller said as he slid a bundle of paperwork toward her. Dark remained frozen , unable to walk towards him. She noticed something on the table behind his arm. Her face turned from white to beet red and she felt the cold zap of fear run through her body. Her journal lay right beside the second man she had ever slept with! She had described the whole encounter with great detail. Surely the man had some kind of dignity? She silently prayed that he did and that he had not read it.

“How long have you been here?” she croaked. He followed her gaze and smiled smugly.

“Long enough,” he answered. Dark felt the strength leaving her legs and sought out a place to sit down.

“Why?” It was the only thing that continually rang out in her mind and went straight out her mouth. Why was he looking her? Why would he read her journal? Why, why, why?

“The proposal.” He slid the papers closer to her. She felt her numb fingers reach for them and unfold the bundle. Seeing the title, the papers fell from her hands.

“A prenuptial?” she asked in disbelief. “Have you lost your mind?”

“It is a business proposal. You’d do well to consider it. My understanding is you’re on your last leg, so to speak,” he said as he tapped her journal.

“You son-of-a-bitch. What gives you the right?” Dark’s shock was quickly turning to anger. He stood and walked to her.

“You should think of your son and how this will impact him. Think of all the good things you could do for him,” he said without emotion. He watched as her face betrayed her feelings. He hated using her son as a means of persuasion, but he didn’t see any other choice. This had to work or he was screwed.

“Read it carefully. I will return in an hour for your answer Dark.”

He walked out of her room before she could respond.