Then there’s Charlie, who is much younger than me, at only twenty-two years old, and a personal assistant for the same legal company I’ll go back to working for as a divorce lawyer when I return to London.
“What time are we meeting your friends, Amber?” Charlie asks.
“We’re meeting Sophie, Piper, and their friends later,” I reply. “Their flight gets into Vegas later this evening.”
“Good. I need a shower and a nap,” Charlie says.
I agree. There’s no chance I’m going out without a shower, especially after flying economy.
“We need to dump our bags and get to the casinos,” Bree says, dipping her head back into the car. “We don’t have the time for sleeping in Vegas.”
“No, I’m having a shower,” I retort. Bree crawls back into the car as it pulls into the hotel grounds. “Okay, why don’t we have a quick drink and then we’ll check in?”
“One quick drink,” I say. I could actually do with a nap myself, but maybe a drink will calm Bree down, and she’ll fall asleep when we get to the room.
“I’ll get the margaritas,” Bree says, dragging her suitcase out of the car.
As the bellboy collects the suitcases, the clatter of the wheels on the trolley echoes through the lobby. Jade and I watch them being taken away.
“We need to check in soon. Otherwise, those suitcases will disappear,” Jade says, “and I have designer clothes in there.”
“Margaritas!” Bree shrills from the door, curling her finger to hurry us along.
“I’ll get these. Come with me, Bree,” Jade says. Not only is she a lawyer, but she’s also a trust fund baby, making her undeniably the wealthiest among my friends.
We casually walk into the bar, greeted by the dim lighting and the aroma of alcohol and cigarettes.
Charlie and I settle onto the barstools encircling an elevated table.
“Can I tell you something? But please don’t tell Bree,” she says.
“Oh, of course, tell me anything.”
Nervously, she chews on her bottom lip for a moment, before leaning forward and whispering, “I’m a virgin. And I know I’m never going to win this bet without sleeping with someone.”
My eyes widen, taken aback by that. “You don’t have to sleep with someone. Sleeping with someone is pretty crazy, but not necessarily the reason to win the bet.”
With her gaze down-turned, Charlie nods.
I curve my hand around my mouth and whisper, “I thought you were an escort.”
“I was, but I didn’t sleep with my clients,” she says, eyes wide. “And I’ve been offered so much more than one thousand pounds for my virginity.” She shrugs her shoulders. “But it’s not for sale, and I’m certainly not losing it for a bet.”
“And so you shouldn’t,” I say. “Escorting … How did you get into it?”
“University. A few of my friends did it. One even ended up marrying one of her clients.”
“Really?” My voice is full of surprise.
“Yeah, Lily. She’s really good friends with Jade and Ava. They all studied together. According to another friend, Sarah, she didn’t realize it at the time, but he’d been stalking her for two years.” She laughs and shakes her head. “It sounds sinister, but he was totally obsessed with her.”
“She fell in love with her stalker?” I shake my head as I think about that.
“Yeah, I know crazy, isn’t it? Anyway, I got used to the escorting money, but after one disastrous incident, I gave it up.” My eyebrows furrow. She nods at Jade. “She saved me.”
I rub my palm over the back of her hand as I consider asking for more information. “If you need to talk more about what happened, I’m here for you.”
“Thanks, but I prefer to bury it. One day I’ll be ready to talk about it … I think.”
