Vegas Lights

Chapter 19

Iris's P.O.V

We came up to a set of simple double doors. There was a keycard reader to the right of them on the wall. Brendon reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, inserting it in. Once the light turned green, he grabbed the handle, opening the door for me.

After I walked in, I stepped to the side to let Brendon by. I was taking in the surroundings, noticing that it was just like any typical office space. Dull and colorless.
"This is where we come when all the head of departments need to have a meeting." Brendon said, walking through the building.
"Why don't you have them at the casino?" I asked.
"We use to, but some things happened and we don't do them there anymore for privacy and security concerns." He said, still walking. I just nodded my head and walked along side with him.

We eventually came upon this small room that was just as plain as the outside. It was already seating quite a few people. One had very short hair, and was wearing a jean jacket with blue jeans to match. He looked to be about in his mid thirties. There was also this woman who had this deep, rich caramel brown skin tone that could make anyone jealous. Including me. Her hair was just above her shoulders, the corkscrew-like ringlets just barely brushing her shoulder. She looks fairly young. There was a couple of other people but I didn't have the time to take in their features before Brendon walked up to the man in the Jean jacket.
"Hey, man. How you doing?" The man asked Brendon, embracing him in a hug.
"You know me, always staying busy." He smiled.
The man looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. Brendon noticed and started to introduce me.
"This is Iris, my assistant." Brendon said.
The man extended his hand out towards me and I shook it lightly.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Gus." He said.
"Nice to meet you too." I smiled.
He looked back at Brendon and spoke to him.
"We're just waiting on Richard." He said.
"You know how he is." Brendon gave him a nod and a quick pat on the shoulder before walking further into the room.

I sat down in a metal folding chair beside the couch that sat in the middle of the room. There was various folding chairs all around and that was about it. It was as basic as a room could get. Brendon stood beside me as I was seated. Everyone was making small talk, filling the small room with overlapping chatter. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the familiar face of Richard walk in. A small smile formed at my lips. I was glad that I at least knew one person besides Brendon.

I got out of my seat, standing up to greet Richard as he walked over to us. He quickly gave Brendon and I a hug, greeting us with a warm smile.
"I'm not late, am I?" He chuckled.
"Not too bad this time, Richard." Brendon laughed back.
"How are you Iris?" He looked down at me. As much as he's like my dad, his height was no match. My dad was around 5'8, whereas Richard looks about 6'3.
"I'm doing alright." I said with a smile.
"Well, let's not keep everyone waiting." He patted Brendon's shoulder before walking over to the couch and taking a seat. Brendon walked over to the last remaining seat, sitting down beside Gus.

"Alright, let's go ahead and get down to business so we can get out of here." Brendon started. "I'm going to start with introductions considering there is a new face here if you haven't noticed." He held out his hands gesturing towards me. I gave out a tight lipped awkward smile, barely lifting my hand to greet them all.
"This is Iris, my assistant. She's here to observe and take notes." Brendon said.
"Iris, you've met Gus. He's the head of entertainment." I looked over at Gus who gave me a more than cheerful wave before Brendon spoke again. "That one there is Mika, who runs the food and beverage department." He pointed to the girl with the perfect caramel skin. She was undeniably gorgeous. She said a quick hello to me before Brendon continued naming everyone.
"You already know Richard, of course." I looked over at him and gave him a small chuckle in response to the way he mocked Brendon silently.
"Then we have Simon, head of accounting and financial planning. Last but not least, Elle, head of Human Resources." He gestured toward a lady that had white hair coming out from the roots of her head that turned to a darker grey as it went down. You could tell she's an older lady, from her hair to the age lines that was visible on her face. Yet, she still looked so young and youthful. She nodded her head towards me and gave me a small smile. I gave her one back and looked towards Brendon.
"So, now that's out of the way, I'd like to talk about this event coming up." Brendon said. He must've been talking about the one that's this Friday. Unless there's another one that I have no clue about.
"Gus, where are we at regarding the live band?" Brendon asked.
"I haven't been able to convince them to perform yet." Gus said.
"How come? You're like, the best at that." Mika chimed in.
"I mean, we could always save money and just put you up on the stage." Gus retorted.
"Uh-huh. Not happening." Mika replied, shaking her finger. Brendon looked at Gus and started laughing with him.
"I know that you'll make something happen Gus." Brendon said. "Mika, everything good on your end?"
"If people would stop quitting or getting sick, I'd say yes." Mika said, crossing her arms. I could tell she had a fiery personality.
"How many people are you short?"
"Seven." She said. Brendon sucked his teeth in.
"But, as always, we can manage." She finished.
"Great."

After that part of the conversation, I really started zoning out. I started thinking about what the hell I'm  gonna wear to this thing. The last time I went to a black tie event, was in high school at prom. I knew I'd need Lia's help for sure.

I focused back in on the conversation just as Brendon started talking to Simon about the financial aspects of the event.
"How much did you say this whole thing would cost?" Brendon asked, resting his chin in his hand.
"If my calculations are correct, including food, drinks, the live band, and promotions, the total will be at least, three hundred fifty thousand." I looked back over at Brendon who now had his brows furrowed together with his hand still under his chin. After some thought about it, he spoke up.
"That shouldn't be a problem. If the numbers change, you know how to get a hold of me." Brendon stood up from his spot and moved his chair to the side. He hardly reacted to being told how much this party would cost. It made me think about how much money he actually has. I had never thought about it before surprisingly. I mean, I knew he had to be rich. I guess I just didn't know how rich. Brendon spoke up towards everyone, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"So, I guess we'll keep working through the casino to get everything set up and ready. I already have a crew who's doing the decorations." Brendon said. "I'll see you all at work tomorrow."

Everyone got up from their seats and started making small talk with each other. I saw Brendon, gliding his way over to me. I greeted him with a smile.
"So, what'd you think?" He asked me.
"Seemed like a pretty regular meeting." I told him.
"Yeah, they're not usually interesting, but it is important."
I nodded my head and saw Richard walking up to us.
"Hey, cool cats!" Richard said.
"Please. Don't say that again." I put my hand on my cheek, chuckling at what he said.
"Alright, alright. I'll see you two tomorrow." He gave us a small wave before turning around and leaving the room. Brendon turned towards me and gave me a warm smile.
"Are you ready to get out of here?" He asked me.
"Yes." I simply said, already headed to the door. I don't have it in me to stay around and chat with everyone. I'm sure I would eventually come across them at work.

Brendon and I made our way back out to his car and got in, buckling ourselves up. We mostly sat in silence the whole ride back, aside from listening to low volume music. Every so often, I'd catch Brendon looking over at me. Either out the corner of his eye or blatantly staring. Each time he'd do it, I'd always find myself smiling. Feeling the goosebumps that made their way up my arms. I looked out the window the rest of the way home, just admiring Vegas.

We made it back to my apartment and Brendon parked in front of my place, shutting his car off. He put his hands on the back of my head rest, looking at me.
"I've enjoyed spending time with you, even if it was just for a meeting." He said.
"I have too, even though sometimes I don't like to admit it." I said.
"Don't like to admit it?" He asked me.
"Story for another time." I awkwardly smiled. He just nodded his head and got himself out of the car. I opened my door after him and he jogged around, grabbing it, and pulled it open all the way. I stepped out and he closed the door behind me. We both stood there in a few seconds of silence until Brendon spoke up.
"I'd love to spend the rest of the day with you, but I have more things to handle work wise." He said, looking down.
"It's okay, I understand you can stay busy. But, don't think you're getting out of it that easy. We will have a work free day soon." I said, pointing at him sternly.
"You got it boss." He chuckled. I liked the little role reversal he had going, it made me laugh.
"So, I've been wanting to ask you, I figured now is a better time than any." Brendon put his hand around the back of his neck, rubbing it. "Would you be my plus one this Friday?" He asked, looking at me. I didn't really know how to respond. I didn't think we could bring dates. I figured since it was mandatory for all staff to attend, we'd mainly be working.
"We're allowed to have plus ones for an event like this?" I asked him curiously.
"Well, I am." He said matter of factly.
"I mean, in that case, I'd love to." I said with a big smile.
Brendon's eyes got wide and he gave me a big hug. It caught me off guard and I stumbled back a bit, causing Brendon to let go of me.
"Sorry." He mumbled. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning to uphold my end of the deal?"
"Yeah, I'll text you a time."
"Perfect." He walked back over to the drivers side, holding onto the open door.
"Oh, and don't worry about picking an outfit for Friday, I'll have one sent to you." Brendon said.
"Are you serious?" I asked him, not really sure if he was joking or not.
"Of course." He smiled. "You enjoy the rest of your day, Iris." He gave me a wink and got in his car fully, driving away.
I felt my lips tugging upwards and turned on my heels heading up to my apartment.