Pranked (36 page)

"
H
ow is
it that you have so many clothes here?" I'm staring at the inside of a closet that rivals the size of my bedroom back home, and it's filled with expensive clothes and shoes.

"What do you mean?" Chase is standing in front of the mirror adjusting his collared shirt.

"You said you live in Vegas, but not in this hotel room. Why do you stay here so often that you have your entire wardrobe here? Don't you ever go back home?"

"It's just easier to stay here," he shrugs, still focused in the mirror. "The games are here."

"Don't you ever miss your house? Your stuff?" I'm already homesick, but part of that has to do with feeling vulnerable after breaking up with Harry. I actually don't feel as bad when Chase is around. He's so confident in everything he does that I feel some of that confidence seeping into me just by being around him.

"I guess I'm used to it," he says, turning from the mirror to look at me. "I spend a lot of time on the road."

I walk over to him and put my hands on his collar, adjusting it a bit myself before looking into his cool blues. "Still, you must get tired of living in a hotel room. Even one as nice as this." I look around again, wondering how long it would take me to get sick of such lavishness. "I guess I'm just wondering what your place looks like." You can tell a lot about someone from seeing their home, and even after Googling him and talking to Evelyn I still feel like Chase is a mystery. Almost more so now, since it's hard to know where reality begins and the rumors end with someone even sort of famous.

"It's nothing special," he says, turning back to the mirror to inspect the adjustment I just made. "I don't spend a lot of time there. No room service." He flashes me a grin through the reflection.

I purse my lips at him. I might not make a living out of reading people like he does, but I can tell when someone is trying to change the subject.

"Come here." He holds out a hand and I step forward, letting him pull me closer. "I was right."

"About what?"

"You do look stunning in that dress." His lips are strong and my knees weaken as he presses them against mine. "Let's get going."

Minutes later we're riding along the brightly lit strip in a limo. Harry and I had walked this way during the day, but it was much more interesting at night. Especially within the cool air conditioning of the chauffeured car. "Where are we going?"

"XS."

"That could be anywhere in Vegas. Isn't that the foundation that all of these casinos are built around?"

"Not
excess
," Chase smiles. "X S. It's the club at the Wynn."

"Ah." It means nothing to me. I'd asked Harry to take me to a club, but he complained that they were all too expensive with long lines to get in and a waste of time. He'd rather just lose his money slowly at the poker table instead of actually trying to wring any enjoyment out of those same dollars. Of course, when I said that he argued that at a club, the money was gone for sure but when he played with it, he at least had the potential to win more. That potential rarely turned into reality though, and we'd had that argument over and over again over the months we were together. At any rate, I consequently have no idea what the club scene is like in Vegas and whether XS is anything special.

Before the car has even stopped, it is obvious that the club is packed. The lineup is huge, and I'm looking at Chase dubiously, wondering whether or not he has a plan B. He seems unconcerned, though, and helps me out of the car before briefly speaking to the driver and watching it take off.

"Come on," he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me along next to him.

"I think the line starts over there," I motion in the opposite direction to where he's leading.

I'm not sure if he heard me or not, because Chase only quickens his pace and I have to hurry to keep up with him. I'm thankful for the strong grip he has on my hand as there are so many people around us now I'm worried I could easily lose him.

"Chase!"

There's a big man standing by a separate entrance, smiling at the poker player as the two slap hands in some complicated greeting.

"Ace, my man, how's your game?"

"I think I need a few more pointers. Dropped a grand at the 2/5 at MGM last night."

"Ouch. You're still too curious, stop looking people up on the river."

"Shit yeah, I know."

"Well, give me a ring and we'll talk about it some more. You got space for two tonight?"

"Of course, you know I do."

All of sudden the man swings open the heavy doors and Chase's casual and confident hand is ushering me forward into a throng of beautiful people surrounded by loud, pulsing music.

My senses are overwhelmed with the sights and sounds around me. The club is dark, but multi colored lights beaming across a sweaty crowd light up the room as people bounce and sway to the music. Chase's hand closes tightly against mine as he weaves his way through the crowd, either finding a path or making one as he goes, I'm not sure which. He soon stops in front of a bar and orders us drinks.

"What do you think?" His lips are next to my ear but he's still talking very loudly so that I can hear him over the music. His hot breath causes a shiver to run up my spine and I wonder how long we have to stay here before we can go back to his hotel bedroom again.

"Intense," I yell back. He smiles, taking that as a positive as he presses a glass into my hand.

"Hi Chase!" Two gorgeous blond girls walk up to the poker player and hug him. He speaks briefly to them before they smile and one tries to grab his hand as she walks away. I look over at him questioningly.

"Fans," he shrugs, looking embarrassed. "Come on, let's dance."

He pulls me back into the crowd and I drop my drink back onto the bar before it's out of reach. All of a sudden our bodies are pressed together as gorgeous young people surround us, all of them dancing and sweating in unison to the electronic sounds coming from the massive speakers all around the club. It doesn't take long to forget everything and lose myself in a similar way. Chase is a great dancer, and I'm happy to let the crowd push and jostle us together so that our bodies are pressed tightly as we grind. His lips find my neck in the crowded low light and I laugh, raising my eyes to the sky. This is what I needed after all.

We dance for what seems like at least an hour before he grabs my hand and leads me from the floor again. I'm tired and hot but elated and buzzed at the same time. Leading me through the crowd, Chase brings me through an opening and all of sudden we're outside. Just like inside, beautiful people surround us, the only difference now is that there's a pool and the people milling about it are wearing even less than the ones inside. The desert air is warm, but still cooler than inside the center of the crowd so I welcome the break.

"What do you think?"

"It's fucking fantastic," I say, my face grinning wildly. "I need another drink though."

"Of course, wait right here."

I open my mouth to say I want to come with him, but before I can he's disappeared into a crowd of people. I shrug, deciding to take in the sights of this amazing club while I wait. There's simply nothing like this back home. The outdoor area is enormous, with a huge pool taking up a large part of it. I wonder how people managed to get a swimsuit in past the bouncers and the dress code rules, and how drunk I'd have to be to feel comfortable swimming amongst all of these gorgeous people. I watch them for a few minutes before I realize that it's taking Chase an awfully long time to get our drinks. There's a bar on the other side of the pool, which is where I thought he'd gone, so I pick my way through the crowd until I'm close. I spot his blond hair and chiseled jaw immediately, but he's not alone. He's talking to a strikingly beautiful brunette, whose hand is resting familiarly on his arm and he's making no attempt to remove it. As I watch, he leans close, speaking into her ear and then she throws her head back and laughs before leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. She's clearly not just another fan.

I walk quickly up to interrupt them and she turns to me even before he does.

"Lila!" he says when he finally notices me. He sees me glaring at the girl next to him. "Lila, Let me introduce you two. This is Denise Parks. She's my..." he pauses for just an instant before her voice chimes in to finish his sentence.

"Girlfriend." I feel my eyes widen as I turn my glare away from her and slide it onto him.

"
E
x
," Chase corrects her quickly.

Denise throws her head back and titters with a shrill little laugh. "Of course, ex, ex. I'm just teasing Lila here." Her eyes meet mine as her head comes back but they show no sign of mirth.

Denise looks older than me, probably in her early thirties. Her hair is pulled up into an expensive and professional looking updo and her eyes are framed with more than a hint of eye shadow. She purses her full red lips as she looks me up and down. "Lila," she says my name again slowly, making it sound as if both syllables are separate words. "You must be a new... friend... of Chase's? He hasn't mentioned you before."

"Funny, he hasn't mentioned you either," I respond. I get more of a reaction from that statement than she did, which satisfies me. There's a flash of anger in her face, but Chase is quick to step in.

"Ladies, ladies, let's be civil here. Lila, Denise and I have been broken up for a while but we're still friends. Denise, Lila and I just met but I really like her and would love it if you two could at least act friendly to each other."

Denise laughs again, putting her hand on Chase's chest and letting it slowly slide down. "Of course, I'm just teasing, you know me. Why don't we all get acquainted over a drink?"

Chase looks over at me and I force a smile onto my face. "Sounds great."

He turns and hands me the drink he had originally left to get. From the corner of my eye I can feel Denise watching. Judging.

Before any of us can say another word, two men approach and step between us, rudely separating Chase from Denise and I.

"You're Chase Anderson!" one of them accuses. "No fucking way."

"We watch you on TV all the time!"

Great. More fans.

"So you're Chase's new distraction?" Denise has taken Chase's diversion as a chance to launch a new attack.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh don't be so sensitive, darling. I'm sure you know that a man like Chase doesn't stay around long. There are always plenty of younger, prettier things to distract him. The dangers of trying to tie yourself to a celebrity."

I'm caught off guard by the accusation and I don't even know how to respond, so she continues.

"Trust me, Chase is a free spirit. You won't be able to drag him to the alter no matter how good you are in bed."

I can feel the heat in my face and wonder whether the night is hiding my flushed skin or if the club lights are betraying me. "What are you talking about?"

"Please, honey, you don't think you're the first weekend tourist to try to win the heart of Chase Anderson, do you?"

"I didn't even know who he was," I protest, before I can hold my tongue. I shouldn't even respond to this woman, she's obviously just trying to get a rise out of me. Not to mention that I had planned to leave in the morning anyway. Monday at the latest. I have a flight, after all.

"Oh, of course," she says sarcastically. "You just happened to flirt with a famous, wealthy millionaire without a clue who he actually was."

"He picked me up, I didn't even want to go with him." I have to stop explaining myself to her.

She pauses at that and a look of anger passes quickly across her face, almost too fast to recognize. But it makes everything clear to me immediately. "He dumped you, didn't he?"

This time she doesn't mask her emotion.

"You think you're better than me, you little slut? Mark my words, you're nothing special. Chase will move on within a week and you'll go back to whatever little hick town you're from, and he and I will still be here in Vegas, living the high life."

"Oh, I get it," I say slowly. "You actually think he's going to get back together with you eventually, don't you?" I shouldn't be continuing to poke her with a stick, but she's a bitch and deserves it.

Her mouth opened to reply, but I cut her off by turning to Chase and speaking over his fans. "Can we get out of here?"

"Definitely," he immediately agrees. "Sorry guys, gotta jet. But yeah, give me those and I'll sign them for you." Chase takes something from the men and turns to the bar to give them an autograph.

"I'm so sorry you have to leave so soon," Denise smiles at me, the lie coming easily to her lips. "The party is just getting started."

"That's okay, I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun all by yourself," I reply. "Besides, I think Chase and I are going to have a lot more fun at our own private party back at his place."

Denise's eyes narrow. "You mean his hotel room, of course? I'm sure he isn't taking you back to his house."

"Wherever he and I can be alone is fine with me."

"Oh, I understand. Men always keep their girlfriends at hotels. Oh wait, no, sorry, I'm thinking of hookers. They always keep their hookers at hotels."

I feel the heat rise against my face again.

"Ready?" Chase is standing beside me now, the two fans having finally left him alone.

"Absolutely."

He turns back to Denise. "Have a good rest of your night. We're going to head out now."

"Of course," she smiles. I can already tell how fake her smile is and I've only known her for a few minutes. "And I'll let you know about tomorrow." After she says that she turns her smile toward me. "Lila, such a... pleasure."

I nod noncommittally and turn quickly away, unwilling to even give her a fake smile of my own. Chase's hand on my back leads me through the crowd, back inside and then out the door. He's on his cell phone, calling his car to come back and pick us up.

If I wasn't so annoyed I'd be impressed at how quickly it arrives. I wait until we're inside and away from other ears before I turn my gaze to him. I know it's none of my business, and I have no plans to see this man after Monday, but the fact that she said it in front of me was clearly meant to piss me off and the fact that it worked pisses me off even more. Since I can't hold my tongue any longer, I at least try to sound nonchalant. I have no idea if I'm successful.

"So... you're seeing Denise tomorrow?"